A visit to James’ Place

Founded by Clare Milford Haven and Nick Wentworth-Stanley following the tragic death of their 21 year-old son James in December 2006, James’ Place has treated over 5,100 suicidal men since 2018, and the aim is to help many more. 

Clare and Nick were determined to prevent other families from losing loved ones and set up James’ Place to provide support for men in suicidal crisis whose needs are not met by existing services.

The organisation - which relies solely on donations - offers free, life-saving treatment to suicidal men in London, the North East, the North West and West Midlands, providing a safe, friendly, and therapeutic environment in which men are cared for and respected.

The first James’ Place centre opened in June 2018 in Liverpool, as the first of its kind in the UK. There are now further centres in London, Newcastle and Birmingham, with a fifth centre set to open in 2027, which will enable the charity to treat up to 2,000 men per year.

We spoke to Martin Miller, James’ Place Philanthropy Lead, about how more men can be encouraged to talk about mental health; the importance of donations to enable the charity to continue to offer free services to men in need; and plans for the new centre.  

Have you seen an increase in men open to talking about mental health? 

In general it has become much more common to see men talking about mental health than a few decades ago, but there is still a lot of work to do to break down some of the stigma that surrounds talking about suicide - it’s not something we talk openly and honestly about as a society. We all need to be ready to challenge this and to be able to ask friends and loved ones direct questions about how they are, to listen to them when they need to talk and be able to signpost them to help if they need it.

How can more men be encouraged to talk about mental health? 

Men and boys should be encouraged to understand and process their emotions and learn practical and healthy ways of coping, as well as notice warning signs that their mental health may be worsening. Many men we see at James' Place find it difficult to identify what thoughts, feelings and behaviours are driving their suicidal crisis until our therapists work with them to break it down. As a society we need to normalise help-seeking behaviour among men by framing it as strong and acceptable, and encouraging men to share their stories of difficult times. It’s also important to not put all the burden on men themselves to reach out, we all need to reach in, if someone has been through a difficult life event we should be asking them how they are, checking in regularly, looking for changes in behaviour, offering help, and not being afraid to ask someone if they are suicidal.

Are there any success stories you would like to highlight?

We have many success stories and are always so delighted to hear from the men we have helped about new babies, weddings, changes of career and challenges completed. One that springs to mind is Connor, who came to us in crisis a few years ago after a suicide attempt and has since turned his life around, had a baby girl, started a new business venture and has become a fantastic ambassador for us and men’s mental health in the community, encouraging men to reach out for support. Not only that but he has undertaken two fundraising challenges to raise money for us, scaling the Three Peaks, and cycling from our centre in Newcastle to our centre in Liverpool. He often remarks that his life is better than ever, and he is so thankful he is still here to enjoy it.

Why do you think men are statistically more likely to die by suicide than women?

The reasons for this are complex but there are a number of factors that contribute to the higher rates of male suicide. One is that men tend to use more lethal means, which means that the way they attempt suicide is more likely to result in their death.  Another is that men can find it difficult to seek help, and often only reach out when they get to a crisis point. It’s important to say that lots of men do seek help, but that they might not always be heard or understood or get the help they need. Similarly, many men do reach out for help at the right time and get better.

You offer free services to those in need -how important are donations to ensure you can continue to keep doing this? 

We rely solely on charitable donations to continue to support the men in suicidal crisis who use our services, as well as to fundraise the costs needed to open each new centre.

We are lucky to have a breadth of support across the country, from philanthropists and charitable trusts, to individuals and local community fundraisers. Support received allows us to make sound financial plans for the years ahead. Every single donation is vital to the long-term success of James' Place and every pound really does make a difference.

When did you open the first centre?

The first James’ Place centre opened in Liverpool in 2018. We have since opened three further centres in London, Newcastle and Birmingham.

You operate centres around the country - are there any plans for more centres to be opened in more locations? 

Since opening our first centre it has always been our plan to open five centres. We are currently planning, dependent on raising the necessary funds, to open a fifth centre in 2027.

Our locations have been chosen after extensive research with the aim of reaching the broadest possible spread of the population and the largest numbers of men particularly in areas with high suicide rates. 

We know there is a strong link between poverty and suicide. Men in the lowest socio-economic group, living in the most deprived areas, are up to ten times more at risk of suicide than those in the highest social-economic group living in the most affluent areas. This is why it’s vital that local support is available to those that need it.

We are currently considering several locations for the fifth James’ Place centre.

How many people come to you every year?

Last year we helped 1,352 men in suicidal crisis through 6,365 free therapy sessions. With five centres open we will be able to treat over 2,000 men per year.  

Is the suicidal rate stable or changing for the better?

Suicide occurrence rates have been fairly stable from 2018 to 2024 but every suicide is one suicide too many and a preventable death with the right help and support.

For men, the suicide rate in England and Wales remained relatively unchanged in 2024 at 17.6 suicide deaths registered per 100,000 people, compared with 17.4 suicide deaths registered per 100,000 people in 2023.

6,190 suicides were registered in 2024 in England and Wales. Three quarters of these were men.

What needs to be done further to improve today‘s situation?

As a society we are simply not doing enough to prevent suicide, there is not enough effort, funds and attention paid to this issue which devastates families and communities. There is an urgent need for well-resourced, quick-to access and specialist help, such as James’ Place offers, for everyone in a suicidal crisis. This needs to be tailored to specific groups, and particularly available for higher risk areas or groups.

What age group is affected mostly?

In England and Wales in 2024, men aged 50 to 54 years had the highest suicide rate across all age groups. Suicide is the single leading cause of death for men under the age of 35.