00:00Mayhem, Match Day and Mental Health. Three unlikely phrases to hear in the same sentence,
00:07but on Sunday in Maidstone, amateur to seasoned boxers took to the ring to raise awareness
00:12and combat suicide rates in Kent. The Baton of Hope is the UK's largest suicide prevention
00:18charity. They recently visited the county in September as its Olympic torch made its
00:23way around Kent, where it made its mark on the community.
00:26I'm going to sit on the organising committee for the charity. So I was project lead for
00:30the Kent and Medway tour for the Baton of Hope tour they did in September, October this year.
00:35I've been involved in the charity for about three years. The community as well, I mean
00:38you've probably seen today just how close we are. It's like a family, like a family here.
00:43Everyone's got everyone's back and Al, like my coach, is just amazing. It's like a therapy session.
00:49It was a full arena. Friends and family were all gathered to view and support the competition.
00:54There was a wide variety of fighters with all different ages, weight and ability.
00:59From featherweight to heavyweight, we saw it all.
01:01I want to win it. I'm going in to win. But at the end of the day, it is for a charity cause.
01:11To bring awareness about suicide prevention, helping those who might be struggling.
01:16There's been a lot of times where stuff has been going on in personal life that has been stressing me out.
01:21A bit sad, a bit down. You come to a session, you train for an hour, train for a couple of hours.
01:27You walk out with a grin on your face feeling great. Speak about it. Friends, co-workers who you're close with, family. Speak about it.
01:37Each fighter has been training day in, day out for months leading up to the event. All of which choosing to do so for something true to themselves.
01:46Some fought for their own mental health, whereas others chose to fight for those who are no longer here to fight for themselves.
01:51In the ring, everyone was fighting for one another.
01:54For personal reasons, I wanted to get involved. A very good friend of mine had a difficult time and, as a result, took his own life.
02:05The reason we're all doing it is to try and promote a message and to let people know that you're not alone out there
02:14and that no matter how low you're feeling, there are people that are caring for you and fighting for you and reaching out for you.
02:21Data shows that registered deaths by suicide have become stagnant in recent years, showing a call for further support from charities like Baton of Hope.
02:29With the success of the event, the charity has shattered the predicted goal of £5,000 and managed to so far raise £6,088, supporting the Baton of Hope in continuing to spread awareness.
02:41Corey for MTV in Maidstone.
02:43If you have been affected by the subjects covered in this report, Samaritans can be reached on 116 123.
02:50Let's go.
02:51I'm Katie Grant.
02:52I'm Katie Grant.
02:53We'll see you next time.
02:54You'll see us.
02:55We'll see you next time.
02:56You may have started with the event.
02:58Well, with us on our own team and our team and our team and I'm here to play, and I will find you something.
03:02Let's go.
03:03What is it?
03:04The event that you've discovered was the event.
03:05Well, before you've come in, you've come out.
03:06And we could start to see you next time.
03:09If you don't go home, we can start to see you next time.
03:10I'm going to go home, and we're going home.
03:11And I'm not going to go.
03:12But we're on a trip.
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