A North East PR entrepreneur has joined the board of a Teesside suicide awareness charity to help raise awareness of the issue.
Charlotte Nichols, founder and managing director of Darlington-based PR agency Harvey & Hugo, will be working with The Headlight Project, which was launched by Catherine Devereux in January 2019 following the suicide of her husband, popular Teesside businessman Russ Devereux.
Its aim is to reduce the number of deaths by suicide in the local area. It does this in three ways: by providing therapeutic support to children and adults who have suffered a traumatic bereavement by suicide, by visiting schools and talking about the subject, and by providing training to organisations and workplaces.
Charlotte, who has previously served on the boards of support dog charity Wag & Co and Business Improvement District Distinct Darlington, will support the project with PR and marketing consultancy, having had more than a decade of experience in running her own agency.
She said: “I joined the board because a friend of the family took his own life when I was at school.
“Seeing the devastating effect it had on his teenage daughters – who were my friends – and those around them at such a young age was awful. The aftermath of devastation after someone dies by suicide is horrific; it affects so many people.
“If by me joining the board helps stop just one person from ending their lives, I’ll be satisfied as it will help so many people that would have been affected.”
Catherine added: “Charlotte brings a wealth of experience in public relations and social media, and we’re delighted to have her join the board.
“Her appointment serves to strengthen the skill set of the Board of Trustees to ensure the furtherance of the charity’s objectives and ensure its long-term sustainability and growth.”
For more information about the work of the charity, visit The Headlight Project.