James' Place announces new partnership with The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales

James' Place
10/10/25

We are proud to be one five founding partners of the new National Suicide Prevention Network set up by The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales, which aims to deliver lasting change in how suicide is understood and prevented across the four nations.

Funds donated by The Royal Foundation as part of the new Network will help James’ Place pilot the set up of two satellite services for a 12-month period in the North East and the North West, enabling us to offer free, life-saving therapy to men in suicidal crisis in a community-based setting in those areas. We have also received matched funding for this pilot project from the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board and The Erié Foundation.

This satellite model will see us deliver our high quality therapy in communities that need us – where suicide rates are high, but referral numbers to an existing James’ Place centre are low. It will allow us to test whether smaller satellite services in the community, strongly linked into the existing larger centres in Liverpool and Newcastle, can be an effective way to deliver the unique, free and life-saving therapy we offer to men in suicidal crisis.

58 year old David came to James’ Place Newcastle earlier this year for help after hearing about us through his local Andy’s Man Club. David has experienced depression throughout his life but his most recent episode tipped over into suicidal crisis. David travelled an hour on foot and by bus to reach the Newcastle centre.

He said: “I have experienced depression in my life but this time was different, I had become suicidal and was thinking of all the different ways I could end my life. I heard about James’ Place and thought I would contact them. They contacted me back within 24 hours and I was booked in to go and see them. It was such a nice place, the atmosphere was very laid back and relaxed, it made me feel really at home. I have had a lot of experiences with therapy and doctors for depression in the past and none of it has really worked – I was told what depression is, rather than how to deal with it. At James’ Place I finally found what I was looking for, someone to teach me how to cope with those dark thoughts. My therapist was amazing and really helped me to move forward out of the bad patch I was in, she encouraged me to talk to my family about what was really going on. I feel like a weight has been lifted, there has been a big change in me and in many ways I feel like a different person. I’d recommend James’ Place to anyone.”

Ellen O’Donoghue, Chief Executive of James’ Place said:

“We are very grateful for the support His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales, has already shown to James’ Place and are so pleased to be a founding partner of the National Suicide Prevention Network working to create lasting change in how suicide is understood and prevented across the four nations. With the right treatment and support we believe that suicide is preventable; our hope for the future is that everyone who needs support can get it where and when they need it. Whilst we know that some men will travel up to 90 miles to get to one of our city-centre based centres, we know that there are many more men who cannot do this. This pilot project, delivering our therapy outside our centres in community-based satellite services, could help us reach many more men in crisis.”

Following the 12-month pilot, we will conduct an academic evaluation of the project to identify learnings and assess whether satellite services in the community are an effective way for James’ Place to reach more men in suicidal crisis.