Light up their Life Project for those Bereaved by Suicide

When someone dies by suicide it can have a big impact on friends, family, colleagues and the local community. People in the Borders are being invited to remember someone they lost to suicide by creating a willow lantern, placing it somewhere special and lighting it in their memory on Saturday 5 December.

People can choose to have their lantern added to “the Clootie Tree”, a beautiful, old yew tree dedicated in memory of people who have taken their own life, which sits in the grounds of the Haining country house and estate in Selkirk.

Alternatively, people can light their lantern in a place that is special to them so that they can remember their loved one.

A film featuring these lanterns has been commissioned to create a lasting legacy of the project and the memorial tree at the Haining. The film, being produced by Alchemy Film & Arts, will also aim to help tackle the stigma some people experience when bereaved by suicide. The finished commission will be part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival in May 2021. 

We are encouraging those people who choose to light their lantern in a place that is special to them to share a short video clip of their lantern on social media using the hashtag #LightUpTheirLife and to send a copy of their video (contact details below) so that it can be included in the film.

For those who would like their lantern added to The Clootie Tree, these lanterns will be filmed after installation in early December. So please drop off your lantern at various drop-off locations across the Borders before Tuesday 1 December. These locations are listed below or you can contact the Joint Health Improvement Team at NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council for more information via health.improvement@borders.scot.nhs.uk or 01835 825970. 

You can request a pack to make a willow lantern (including instructions) and, if you wish, attend a virtual willow lantern making workshop via MS Teams (Tuesday 24 November at 17:30) by contacting the team ahead of time.

Lesley Stewart, one of the project organisers, whose son Andrew took his own life, said “The Clootie Tree remains as a permanent memorial for people to visit whenever they wish. Although we can’t be together this year, we hope that by taking part in a shared activity this will help to remind those bereaved by suicide that they are not alone.”

Tim Patterson, Joint Director of Public Health at NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council, added: “Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult things that we can go through. It is a tragedy any time of year but it can be especially challenging around the festive period when it seems like people are celebrating around you. I am pleased that the Light up their Life project is finding a way to bring people together, albeit not physically, so that those who have been bereaved by suicide can remember their loved ones. The continued legacy of The Clootie Tree is an important part of our programme to help tackle the stigma that can still surround suicide. We would encourage anyone interested to take part in this project.”

Drop-off Locations

Lauder/Earlston	Birkhill House, Earlston, TD4 6AR	Please contact Lara Armitage on the number provided to arrange a suitable drop-off time	07779 339 653
Hawick	South Community Mental Health Team, Victoria Road, Hawick, TD9 7AH	Mon-Fri 9am-5pm	01450 364314
Peebles	The Perfect Fit, 12 High Street, Peebles, EH45 8SF	Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm Sun 12pm-4pm	07791 843939
Galashiels	Unwind Yarns, 10 Channel Street, Galashiels, TD1 1BA	Mon-Wed 9:30am-5pm Thurs 9:30am-6pm Fri 9:30am-5pm Sat 9:30am-4pm Sun Closed	01896 754189
Duns	Community Larder, Volunteer Hall, Langtongate, Duns, TD11 3AF	9am-6pm every day A tub will be available for you to drop the lantern off at the community larder inside the hall	01361 884935