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Studio places 84 statues on their roof, one for each man that commits suicide in the UK every week

84 statues of men appeared on top of ITV Studios‘ buildings in the UK this week as part of their campaign about suicide prevention. Project 84 got its name from the fact that every week, 84 men take their own lives in the United Kingdom.

The statues are part of a new initiative of This Morning, ITV’s popular morning talk show, and the mental health charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to raise awareness about male suicide. Each statue is completely unique and represents one real suicide victim whose story can be read on the campaign’s website.

Twelve of the sculptures are positioned on the roof of the This Morning studio, and the remaining 72 are standing on the roof of the ITV Studios Tower in London’s South Bank.

Statues on ITV Studios’ Tower in South Bank (above) and on the This Morning studio (below). via Twitter.

“Today we are unveiling 84 life-sized sculptures – each representing a real man who has taken his own life, in the hope that it will stop people in their tracks, make them pay attention and get them talking,” said This Morning host Holly Willoughby. 

“Here at This Morning, we never shy away from stories that can be difficult to talk about – and without doubt, one of the most heartbreaking is losing a loved one to suicide,” added Phillip Schofield, Willoughby’s co-host.

The sculptures were made by American artist Mark Jenkins together with his collaborator Sandra Fernandez. Each statue was made using Jenkin’s signature tape-casting technique and with the support of bereaved family members and friends of the deceased.

People, including those who have lost loved ones to suicide, have expressed their support for campaign:

CALM also launched a petition that seeks to “make suicide prevention and support a government minister’s responsibility.”

“Suicide claims the lives of more than 6,000 British men and women every year and is the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK. Every single suicide directly affects 135 people – people like me, people like you. Beyond this unimaginable emotional cost, every single suicide costs an estimated £1.67 million – a cost to families, friends and wider society,” CALM stated.

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