Zero Suicide Alliance are a UK based organisation that are hosted by Merseycare Foundation Trust and funded via Mersey Cares NHS Charity. Their aims are to empower, educate and equip individuals and organisations to support suicide awareness and prevention.

Amy Poole, ZSA Communications Manager, Steven Messenger and Jolene Shaw, both from the Merseycare Safe from Suicide Team joined me as we popped along to Bootle Tool Shed to spend a couple of hours hearing from Eddy Flynn about the difference Sheds can make to people’s lives.

Bootle Tool Shed is situated in Merseyside in a busy industrial area, home to docks, factories and businesses along with a community of people that live and work in the area. The Shed won UKMSA Shed of the Year in 2023 for the huge impact they have on their community. The Shed work with many other community organisations, from the local college to the food bank, and carry out projects ranging from training people to use machines to help them find employment, to refurbishing bikes to donate to local families, and much more.

Eddy told Amy, Steven and Jolene all about how their Shed provides a welcoming space where many members feel able to open up and talk to each other, peer to peer, and away from a clinical environment. The Shed is free for everyone and welcomes members from all walks of life, all ages (above 18) and have had members that have been at risk of suicide before. The Shed is open five days a week and for some members, having a place to go and utilise their skills while having a laugh with others can make all the difference to their wellbeing. Eddy spoke about how for some new members that join them, being in a safe environment can really help them to talk about their feelings and things they’ve been going through, whether that’s retiring and losing connection to former friends and workmates, or experiencing an illness or financial difficulty.

“People soon open up when they come here, and it’s usually a case of days before they do, not weeks or months.”

The Shed have recently moved locations and are busy settling in to their new workshop, and continuing their community work and commissioned projects. Eddy gave Amy, Steve and Jolene a tour of the Shed and talked about some of the work they do.

Eddy and the rest of the Shed watch out for regular members that don’t turn up when they are expected, and try to extend contact to those that have dropped off and haven’t been for a while. They know that people go through all kinds of ups and downs in their lives and it can be worrying when a Shedder doesn’t turn up.

Eddy said, “We’ve never lost a member to suicide, but we have come close.”

Thank you to Bootle Tool Shed for opening your doors and sharing your experiences and insight with Zero Suicide Alliance and Merseycare.

Zero Suicide Alliance have some great resources and FREE training on their website. It takes just 20 minutes to complete their suicide awareness training, a useful skill for anyone to have, whether you’re a Shedder or not.