W L
JESS GALLIER : MY STORY
7th February 2017 - The day that my beloved dad took his own life . The day that my entire world turned upside down . The day that changed me forever , and little did I know , the day that would save 5,000 lives .
Dad ’ s suicide didn ’ t come as a shock , the warning signs were all there , unfortunately the help he needed wasn ’ t . As a family we were unsupported , uneducated and helpless . A common theme . During his inquest we learnt of all the gaps in provision , all the waiting lists , criteria , service limitations . Ultimately we learnt that his death could have been prevented with the right intervention .
I had learnt far too much about suicide to walk away , I was invested and felt an all-consuming urge to do something . I had two options :
1 ) Bang the drum and hope that the government would listen . 2 ) Do it myself .
I made the decision to have a go myself . I quit my job , quit friendships , quit my abusive relationship , quit anything and everything that wasn ’ t serving me well . I picked the parts of my personality that were worth keeping and binned the rest . I realised that I was very selfish prior to my dad ’ s death . I stopped yearning for the person I was before and decided to build myself back as the person I wanted it to be , the person my family deserved and ultimately the person that individuals in a suicidal crisis needed .
On 23rd February 2019 , we opened The Martin Gallier Project , the UK ’ s first and only suicide prevention , intervention and postvention charity . A non-clinical centre , offering crisis support on the high street , with no barriers to access . My mission was to make accessing support for thoughts of suicide as “ normal ” as buying a coffee .
Now a fully fledged charity with 18 members of staff , The Martin Gallier Project , based at 57 New Chester Road , New Ferry , offers non-clinical interventions to those in suicidal crisis , support for their families , training to professionals , bereavement by suicide support , person centred postvention following a crisis and a number of innovative support groups that really work . Our team , above all else , have a contagious passion for preventing suicides and every single person who has used the service is alive to tell the tale . Long story short , Dad ’ s legacy is life saving .
To date , The Martin Gallier Project has completed 5,677 life-saving suicide interventions .
I ’ m proud of that , and I ’ m sure my dad would be too .
If you or someone you know are considering suicide , support can be accessed 7 days a week via themartingallierproject . org , 0151 644 0294or triage @ gallierhouse . co . uk .
Samaritans are available 24 / 7 on 116 123 . If you are in immediate danger or have already done something to harm yourself you should always call 999 .
18 wirrallife . com