PIPS PICK UP AWARD  | News Archive

Pips pick up prestigious training award at City Hall

Philip McTaggart with Jo Murphy, North and West Trust and Eddie Bannon from Stakeholder Development

BY CIARAN BARNES

A NORTH Belfast suicide prevention and awareness project has won a prestigious national training award.

The Public Initiative for the Prevention of Suicide (Pips) group picked up the prize at a gala event in the City Hall on Tuesday.

Headed up by Ardoyne man Phil Mc­Taggart, Pips received the award for train­ing more than 200 community volunteers to help people affected by suicide.

The organisation's partners in the train­ing programme - the North Belfast Part­nership and Stakeholder Development - were the co-recipients. They were com­mended for their outstanding achievement and success through training and develop­ment.

Philip founded Pips in 2003 after his son, Philip Jnr, took his own life. He was

shocked to discover there was little support for his family and others affected by sui­cide.

In a bid to tackle the problem he met with the North Belfast Partnership to ex­plain how families needed urgent support as they struggled to cope.

Together they approached training provider Stakeholder Development, which specialises in developing capacity within community organisations.

Stakeholder designed a publicly-funded training programme, with the primary aim to save lives by providing distressed indi­viduals with support.

"If we can even save one life it will be worth it, to stop one family suffering what we've suffered.

"Pips now deals with up to 15 crisis phone calls and six visits to bereaved fam­ilies a week," said Philip.

John McGeown, Assistant Director for community services at North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust, said: "This is a tremendous initiative in harnessing community energy to address a major public health concern.

"I have no doubt that many distressed individuals and families have been en­couraged to seek support from Pips when previously they would have felt isolated."

Congratulating the three partners in winning a prestigious National Training Award, Employment and Learning Minis­ter, Maria Eagle said: "Suicide prevention training is an important part of reaching the people at most risk and supporting the families of those concerned.

"This is highly important work and I would pay tribute to the collaboration of organisations associated with this initia­tive'