Sunderland and Middlesbrough support mental health charity in Wear-Tees derby

Sunderland AFC and Middlesbrough FC players will warm-up before tomorrow’s televised Wear-Tees Championship derby in North East mental health charity If U Care Share’s Inside Out t-shirts in recognition of World Suicide Prevention Day.

The Inside Out campaign, which encourages people to talk by ‘getting what’s on the inside out’, is the brainchild of the Chester-le-Street based mental health and suicide prevention charity If U Care Share.

Earlier this year, Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson joined If U Care Share as a patron, alongside the likes of former Sunderland and Middlesbrough player Grant Leadbitter - who will be here today as part of the Boro first team coaching staff - and Newcastle United Women’s captain Amber Keegan Stobbs.

World Suicide Prevention Day is held annually on September 10 and the charity, which has provided mental health workshops at Sunderland and Middlesbrough academies for more than a decade, encourages people to wear an item of clothing inside out - or the black and green Inside Out t-shirt.

Despite the date falling in the international break this year, both clubs agreed to wear the Inside Out t-shirts for tomorrow’s lunchtime match, featured live on Sky Sports, as they have for the previous three seasons.

If U Care Share co-founder Matthew Smith said: “We would like to thank Sunderland and Middlesbrough football clubs for their continued support for the Inside Out campaign and giving such prominent backing to a simple message which saves lives.”

The charity was founded by Matthew and his family in 2005 after his brother Daniel O’Hare’s death by suicide and it has provided prevention advice and support to families affected by suicide.

Last month Matthew completed a 700 mile to every Premier League ground to raise vital funds for the charity, running from Bournemouth, across the south coast, through the seven London clubs, before a gruelling leg to Ipswich, followed by the Midlands, Liverpool, Manchester, before landing at St James’ Park less than three weeks later.

The aim is still to raise £135,000 - with 135 being the number of people such as family, friends, work colleagues, health and emergency professionals - who are impacted when one person takes their own life.

After finishing the run at St James’ Park, Matthew said: ”The main idea of the run was to talk about the impact of suicide. It's a subject that we don't often talk about - the people like me who are left behind.

“We want to try and do something to keep people here, to talk about hope and to talk about the people we have lost as well.

"It goes past the football for me. Football is the memories I have with Dan. Football keeps me close with my brother."

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