Suicide is the leading cause of death for 15- to 34-year-olds in the UK. To raise awareness and spark conversations, CALM has launched the Missed Birthdays campaign in collaboration with ITV and the ad agency Adam&EveDDB.

The centrepiece of this initiative is an installation at Westfield London, featuring 6,929 brightly coloured birthday balloons – each one representing a young life lost to suicide over the past decade. The display ran from September 9 to 11, coinciding with World Suicide Prevention Day.

Additionally, CALM has launched a new resource called the CALM C.A.R.E Kit, which equips trusted adults with tools to support young people who may be struggling.  CALM’s CEO, Simon Gunning, poignantly said: “It’s devastating for a young person to not make it to their 15th, 16th, 17th birthday. It’s absolutely tragic when that reason is suicide.”