A free afternoon at St John's in Chatham on 30 September marks a year since the Baton of Hope reached Medway. Tickets are free but must be booked first.

A free public event at St John’s in Chatham on Wednesday 30 September will mark a year since the Baton of Hope came to Kent and Medway.

Tickets cost nothing but have to be booked in advance. Medway Council announced the event on Friday 18 September.

The Baton of Hope is a national suicide prevention campaign. Its baton was carried through the streets of Kent and Medway last year.

The practical details

  • What: Bringing Back Hope
  • When: Wednesday 30 September. Doors from 4pm, with the programme starting at 4.30pm and running to 8pm
  • Where: St John’s Chatham, 18 Railway Street, Chatham ME4 4JT
  • Cost: free, but a ticket must be booked in advance on Eventbrite
  • Organised by: Medway Council’s public health team

The council says the afternoon will include live music and performances, community art, a film screening, an optional group walk with the Baton of Hope, and refreshments. The Eventbrite listing adds that there will be information about local support services and a chance to speak to other people affected by suicide.

Baton-bearers from last year’s relay are expected, alongside mental wellbeing providers and members of the public.

Cllr Teresa Murray, Deputy Leader of Medway Council and Portfolio Holder for Public Health, said in the council’s announcement: “Welcoming the Baton of Hope to Medway was a special moment which had a resounding impact on many people, and I’m looking forward to meeting as many of them as possible on what will be another special occasion.”

What the local figures show

Suicide is counted in three-year blocks, because single-year counts in one district are too small to read reliably. The most recent block is 2022 to 2024.

Over those three years 76 deaths by suicide were registered in Medway. That is a rate of 10.3 per 100,000 people aged 10 and over. The figures come from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, which publishes them for every local authority.

Medway’s rate sits below both comparators:

  • Medway: 10.3 per 100,000
  • England: 11.0 per 100,000
  • Kent: 11.4 per 100,000

It has also fallen. For 2021 to 2023 the Medway rate was 12.0, from 88 registered deaths.

The split by sex is the starkest number in the set.

Bar chart of the Medway suicide rate per 100,000 people aged 10 and over, 2022 to 2024: men 15.8, all persons 10.3, women 5.1, with England at 11.0 shown for comparison
Suicide rate per 100,000 people aged 10 and over, Medway, 2022 to 2024. Chart by Medway Live from OHID data.

For men in Medway the rate was 15.8 per 100,000, from 56 registered deaths. For women it was 5.1, from 20 deaths. The male rate is roughly three times the female one, which matches the national pattern and is the reason prevention campaigns target men so heavily.

The venue is part of the story

St John’s on Railway Street had been closed since 2021. Medway Council’s restoration page sets out the work: repairs to the listed building, plus a new cafe, new meeting rooms, a social space for classes and events, and facilities to host local music.

The council lists the funders as the Future High Streets Fund, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Church Commissioners, the Diocese of Rochester, Rochester Bridge Trust, Friends of Kent Churches, the Benefact Trust, the Burrswood Dorothy Kerin Trust and the National Churches Trust. It was due to reopen in autumn 2025.

What it means for you

If you were a baton-bearer last year, or you have been affected by suicide, or you simply want to stand with people who have, the event is open to you and it costs nothing. Book the free ticket before you travel, because the council says tickets must be reserved in advance.

If you are going with someone who may find it difficult, the programme is long. Doors are at 4pm and the listing runs to 8pm, and the group walk is optional.

If you need help now, you do not have to wait for an event. Samaritans is free to call on 116 123, at any hour, from any phone. For an urgent mental health crisis, Kent and Medway NHS says to call 111 and choose the mental health option, which is open 24 hours a day, every day. If there is an immediate risk to life, call 999.

Other things happening locally are listed on our things to do in Medway page.

Sources