Living Warriors Project has been recognised as a beacon for peer-led suicide prevention for survivors of attempted suicide. Founded in 2017 this grassroots initiative features as a key case study in the new Creating Hope with Peer Support: 3 Years of Peer Power in Suicide Prevention impact report.
Creating Hope with Peer Support, a national project led by Scottish Recovery Network, is a core component of the Scottish Government and COSLA Creating Hope Together Suicide Prevention Strategy. The project works alongside people, organisations, and communities to embed peer support as an essential, accessible and sustainable part of Scotland’s suicide prevention approach.
The new report was launched at Scottish Recovery Network’s national event in Stirling. The launch was led by Tom Arthur, Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing and Councillor Paul Kelly, COSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care. The publication brings together reflections, insights and real-life stories from participants, peer workers and partners involved in the project since its inception. Reflecting on the importance of peer support to Scotland’s suicide prevention efforts, Minister Tom Arthur said:
“Peer support is vital in our efforts at suicide prevention in Scotland across all areas of policy. We not only want to ensure lived experiences are included in how we design our policy, but that those with lived experience who can provide that peer support, can make not just a life changing but a lifesaving difference. The Scottish government is committed to working in partnership with our communities and with local government to make peer support as accessible as possible.”
Nic Saunders, Peer Leader and Founder of Living Warriors Project, has been closely involved in Creating Hope with Peer Support from the beginning, ensuring the voices and experiences of suicide attempt survivors shape both local and national discussions. Living Warriors Project provides a space for open, honest conversations about surviving a suicide attempt, challenging shame and silence through connection, acceptance, and community. The project shows how a grassroots initiative can create inclusive peer spaces where people feel heard, supported and understood.
Reflecting on the origins of the group, Nic said:
“There’s nowhere that I have really been able to speak about this experience, especially in different services that I’ve used within the mental health system. It was always like, ‘oh, we don’t talk about that here, well, that’s for somebody else’…
… I didn’t want anybody to go through what I had gone through and I was like, we’re gonna change the world, we’re gonna change the system. So, I was like, what will I start with, l’ll start with a peer support group”
The recognition of Living Warriors Project in this national report underlines the growing impact of peer-led approaches and the power of lived experience to shape change. As Scotland continues to build a more compassionate and connected approach to suicide prevention, initiatives like Living Warriors Project are showing what is possible when community leadership and lived experience are placed at the heart of support.
Read the full Creating Hope with Peer Support: 3 Years of Peer Power in Suicide Prevention impact report: https://bit.ly/CHPSPeerPower
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