Miss Yorkshire latest person to become suicide prevention first aider

Harrogate's Chloe McEwen, the reigning ‘Miss Yorkshire’ who narrowly missed out on Miss England glory, coming an impressive fifth out of 40 contestants, is one of the latest people to become a Suicide Prevention First Aider.

Chloe (pictured left) recently attended a suicide prevention training course run by new Yorkshire-based Community Interest Company, HelloHope, to undertake the training to understand what signs to look for and how to get someone who is struggling to a place of safety.

Chloe joined a small group of like-minded people interested in supporting those with thoughts of suicide and was trained by HelloHope’s founder and CEO, Ellie MacDonald (right).

The cause is close to Chloe’s heart as she suffered a breakdown while still at school aged 16 and was sectioned in psychiatric hospitals.

Fitness and mindfulness including meditation and a healthy lifestyle helped her turn her life around and, following her recovery, she has embarked on a successful career as a Level 3 personal trainer, as well as working as a volunteer for the charity Mind in Harrogate.

Having attended the launch event of HelloHope in May this year, undertaking the new organisation’s training course seemed like the right next step.

Chloe comments: “Completing HelloHope’s Suicide Prevention course has already helped me be more aware of how to spot the signs of suicidal thoughts as well as allowing me to feel more confident asking the question - whether someone is thinking about suicide, knowing this could potentially save a life.

“Our tutor, Ellie delivered the course so clearly and she made sure everyone understood all aspects of the course throughout which was really helpful.”

Ellie adds: “Chloe and her fellow trainees were a pleasure to teach these vital yet simple lifesaving skills to.

“It’s an honour to have someone like Chloe with a prominent platform invested in supporting others with their mental health, it was such a mixed group including entrepreneurs, employees, HR managers and small business owners proving that this training is for anyone and everyone.

“With suicide being the biggest killer of anyone under 35, and men under 50 in the UK, I’m on a mission to bring this training to the masses so we can all collectively help support someone who is struggling and ultimately save lives.”

Ellie launched HelloHope in May this year following her own struggles with mental health and having lost her dad to suicide when she was just four years old.

HelloHope offers Mental Health and Suicide Prevention First Aid training to businesses via private courses and individual places can be booked on open training dates.