IT has been heartening to read about all the efforts going on across St Helens to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.

Schools, colleges and businesses have been among those taking part in events that encourage people to talk openly about their feelings if they are having a hard time.

As reported previously, figures last year showed St Helens has the highest rate of suicide for any place across England and Wales.

For those of us who care about St Helens that is a jarring statistic which should make us all want to see a change.

Taking the message of openness to our young people is a good place to start and we’d encourage those schools and colleges to share what they have been doing with the Star – through email and social media – so that we can help tell their stories to our readers. Likewise, we’d invite businesses and people making their own contribution to contact us.

The best way for St Helens to deal with this problem is speak openly and share, not hide it away.