3/1 To Win
Derby County and the Derby County Community Trust are proud to partner with the local committee for ‘The Baton of Hope’ event.
The Baton of Hope was devised by a suicide prevention charity as a parallel icon to the Olympic torch – but one that celebrates mental rather than physical wellbeing.
Throughout this year, the Baton will be carried across the UK and will arrive in Derbyshire on 13th September 2025, with a range of events taking place across the city alongside the procession.
Suicide survivors and those bereaved by suicide are being offered the chance to help carry the Baton in honour of their own survival or memory of a lost loved one.
There will also be opportunities for stallholders, entertainment, acts, crafts and other activities to be held at stops along the way.
The club are supporting the event as part of its Time to Talk Day 2025 activities, which includes the installation of two benches near the main entrance of Pride Park Stadium to encourage everyone to break the silence around mental health. Click here to read more about this initiative.
Claire Goring and Luke Oldham are Project Leads for the Derbyshire stage of the Baton of Hope.
Claire said: “Words cannot express how we feel about the importance of highlighting the long-overlooked issue of suicide. It is the biggest killer of men under 50 and women under 35 and there has been no improvement in the statistics for 17 years.”
Luke added: “Bringing the Baton of Hope to Derby and Derbyshire will significantly raise awareness and help to remove the stigma surrounding suicide - which prevents so many from asking for help.”
Luke and his team will be at Pride Park Stadium for the Rams’ Sky Bet Championship fixture against Oxford United on Tuesday 11th February (7:45pm kick-off), to hand out flyers and start the conversation with people that might need advice or support.
The Derby County Community Trust deliver a range of sessions and activities aimed at improving mental wellbeing and the football club recognises its key position in raising awareness amongst the local community.
Simon Carnall, Chief Operating Officer at Derby County, said: “We’re so pleased to see that the Baton of Hope will be visiting our local communities this year. As a football club we know how important it is to use our place within the city to share important messaging, and we’re fully behind the Baton of Hope campaign and what it hopes to achieve.”
There are still opportunities for applications from Baton Bearers, which can be submitted through the charity’s website by clicking here.
You can find more information about the local event, partnerships and fundraising opportunities and much more on the batonofhopederbyshire.co.uk or Instagram @BatonofHopeDerbyshire.
