West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership's male-focused suicide prevention campaign, Check In With Your Mate, was recognised as a finalist at a prestigious award ceremony this week. 
The ongoing campaign, which builds on the-award winning Staff Check-In campaign and aims to create awareness around male suicide, was among those shortlisted in final of the Health and Wellbeing category at Wednesday night's Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Excellence Awards 2023, pictured right with awards host, comedian Lucy Porter.
Nominees were shortlisted after a judging process involving more than 60 PR professionals from across the country.
Jess Parker, West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) Suicide Prevention Programme Manager, said: “Even though we didn't win, we are so proud to have been recognised among such a high standard of entries. Just to be shortlisted was a real boost in itself.
“We’re really pleased the judges saw the importance of working with members of the public in our communities, including men who have been impacted by suicide, in the creation of this prevention campaign. The messaging behind it is so crucial – around three quarters of all suicides are male.
“We all need to check in with our mates and continue to normalise conversations around mental health and suicide – with everyone, but particularly with the men in our lives.”
West Yorkshire continues to have higher suicide rates than for England as a whole, with the rolling three-year rate of 13.2 per 100,000 in 2021, compared to 10.4 per 100,000 nationally.
The Check In With Your Mate campaign encourages everyone to download posters, graphics and social media images from the website Check-in With Your Mate to spread and share the message far and wide. 
It also uses the webpage www.checkinwithyourmate.co.uk which directs people to the ‘support in your area’ page of the West Yorkshire Suicide Prevention website, for local specialist support services and where advice can be found on what to say to a friend who might be struggling.
The award recognition follows another recent boost for the campaign when major sports clubs in Bradford announced in May that they would be throwing their support behind it over the coming months.
Thanks to funding from Bradford Council’s public health team, Bradford Bulls, Keighley Cougars, Bradford City AFC and Yorkshire County Cricket will be using their wide reach among local men to share the campaign with their fans, families and communities.
Rob Webster CBE, CEO Lead for West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership, pictured right, added: “It’s great to see this campaign taken into the hearts of people across West Yorkshire. 
"That was the aim all along – to provide a hub of resources for all businesses, organisations, community groups and individual members of the public to use and share themselves.
“We need to keep the message out there about how important it is to reach out and have those vital conversations. It might just save a life.
“To reach the final of these awards is thanks to everyone who has shared the campaign and encouraged others to check in with a mate. Please continue to spread the word and help us bring the suicide rate down for West Yorkshire.”