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Ellen O’Donoghue

@ellenod.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1.1K following 14 posts

CEO James’ Place, Co-Chair National Suicide Prevention Alliance. Health, public health and social change.

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Reposted by Ellen O’Donoghue
Big Green Books @biggreenbooks.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
SCHOOLS! Would you like £500 of FREE books?! I do a thing called "The Big Green Books 500 Club" Lovely people donate £1 each week & when I get £500, I send a school a load of books. I have £500 ready for the next school, so get in touch! www.biggreenbookshop.com/big-green-bo...
A bunch of primary school kids hold up books that they got from the 500 Club!
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
It's #WorldSuicidePreventionDay tomorrow, and this year we’re encouraging more people to have life-saving conversations.💙 Take a look at our tips on how you can prepare for a life-saving conversation. Download our shareable World Suicide Prevention Day resources here: bit.ly/4iThGMH
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 20/08/2026
The toxic air our children were breathing was stunting their lungs. For too many young Londoners, that was the reality before the ULEZ. New independent findings show their lung health has improved significantly in Central London. That’s the difference cleaner air can make.
theguardian.com
Introducing Ulez was my hardest decision as mayor of London – but now we know its astonishing impact | Sadiq Khan
Critics said I was attacking motorists. It’s more important for me that the city’s children are no longer breathing dangerous levels of pollution, says London mayor Sadiq Khan
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Scott Pack @meandmybigmouth.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Apparently @allgoodbookshop.co.uk are struggling to pay the rent. This is a great, and important, community bookshop in North London so if you are thinking of buying a book this week, in person or online, perhaps you might consider doing so from them. And maybe I can persuade you with a bribe?
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UCL Centre for Behaviour Change @ucl-cbc.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Working in comms? Sharpen your #BehaviourChange toolkit with our 1-day online course on 15 Oct, “Achieving Behaviour Change through Communications”. Learn how to use the COM-B framework to create compelling, evidence-based messaging, led by @robertjwest.bsky.social Details here 👉 bit.ly/4g267Bd
A diverse group of colleagues having a lively discussion around a conference table in a modern office. Credit: Photo by Alena Darmel on pexels.com
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Pet parrots which typically live alone (whilst those in the wild live in large flocks) were given the technology to call each other. They would use it for up to three hours a day, and developed favourite friends 💔 on.ft.com/3K05vhS
When a parrot wanted to connect with a distant friend, a touchscreen showed a selection of other birds available online. The parrots learned to activate the screen, designed specially for them, by touching it gently with their tongues rather than pecking aggressively with their beaks.
"We had 26 birds involved," said Hirskyj-Douglas. "They would use the system up to three hours a day, with each call lasting up to five minutes." The interactions ranged from preening and playing with toys to loud vocal exchanges.
"When we went through the data, we found that most of these parrots had favourite friends," said Hirskyj-Douglas.
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Kit de Waal @kitdewaal.com · 25/06/2026
New Writing Prize below - two great organisations. Please share :)
irishwriterscentre.ie
2026 Irish Writers Centre New Writing Prize in Association with The Stinging Fly - Irish Writers Centre
Irish Writers Centre, Dublin, Ireland. Writing courses, literary events, professional development for writers, fiction, poetry, non-fiction, playwriting.
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Michael Stipe @michaelstipe.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Figuring out arrangement and where to place the breath
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
Many congrats to my friend & colleague Sir Patrick Vernon, just knighted in the King's Birthday Honours list for services to racial equality and social justice. A steadfast campaigner for the Windrush generation + for writing Windrush into the national story www.expressandstar.com/news/wolverh...
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Prof Devi Sridhar @profdevisridhar.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
My latest column on the meningitis outbreak www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Meningitis is back – and here is why | Devi Sridhar
After two deaths, it’s right to be concerned and to discuss investment in public health. But our system is good and it’s working, says Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of ...
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 24/01/2026
The ADHD grey zone: why patients are stuck between private diagnosis and NHS care
theguardian.com
The ADHD grey zone: why patients are stuck between private diagnosis and NHS care
NHS England pays for private assessments under ‘right to choose’, but can reject diagnoses and is struggling to cope with demand
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
🗞️Breaking News! We're delighted to announce we have signed the lease on our new centre in Birmingham, and will be able to offer free, life-saving therapy to suicidal men in the West Midlands within months. www.jamesplace.org.uk/james-place-... #suicide #suicideprevention
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Natalie Haynes @nataliehaynes.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
🗡️ Traitors: Greek Gods Part 1! Can you guess who your favourite will be?
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
Our Chief Executive @ellenod.bsky.social and former client Achal were interviewed by ITV News yesterday for the launch of the Men's Health Strategy. We're proud to have played a part in this. You can catch up on the ITV piece here www.itv.com/news/2025-11... #suicide #suicideprevention
itv.com
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
Our Chief Executive Ellen O'Donoghue @ellenod.bsky.social contributed to this fantastic free guide from Ripple Suicide Prevention and Zero Suicide Alliance which aims to make talking about suicide easier - at work, in schools, and at home. Download it free at zurl.co/EllenO
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IPPR North @ipprnorth.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Young northerners are born into an unacceptable baseline: ➡️ 1M are in poverty ➡️ They wait up to 10x longer for talking therapies ➡️ They receive 10% less school funding & have worse outcomes ➡️ They access smaller green spaces ➡️ They were hit hardest by library closures
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Mums for Lungs @mumsforlungs.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Good luck to the children speaking tonight at this #Lambeth council meeting. Children aged 0–9 are three times more likely to die from a collision when hit by an SUV. We need councils to introduce ways to curb the rise of bigger, heavier vehicles. #Carspreading
highways-news.com
Research shows SUVs three times more likely to kill a child under 10 - Highways News
A group of school children will urge councillors in London to take action to stop ‘carspreading’ as new research shows SUVs are three times more likely to kill a child under the age of 10. A delegatio...
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The Mental Elf @thementalelf.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Teen drug use today, mental health struggles tomorrow? What the evidence says. A new Danish study (68,000+ teens, followed for 8 years) has a clear message: early substance use isn’t just a phase - it can lead to serious mental health struggles later. 🧵 THREAD buff.ly/IZmKwDz
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Meet one of our therapists at James' Place - Andrew. Andrew has a strong grounding in trauma-informed therapy and a background working across both private practice and specialist mental health services. Read more www.jamesplace.org.uk/meet-the-the... #suicide #suicideprevention #menshealthweek
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
We’re delighted to be taking part in the Pride parade in London this year for the first time – hope to see some of you there and Happy Pride! #suicide #suicideprevention #pride
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Today marks seven years since we opened the first James' Place in Liverpool. We now have three centres (Liverpool, London & Newcastle) & 21 therapists providing up to 262 sessions of free, life-saving therapy every week to men in suicidal crisis. jamesplace.org.uk/support #suicide #suicideprevention
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Daniel Reynolds @danielreynolds.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Some highlights from SoS speech at #NHSConfedExpo ✅ Clearer priorities/fewer targets ✅ A slimmed down Centre ✅ICBs as strategic commissioners of local services ✅ Reinvigorate the FT model ✅ Change the financial rules - focus on outcomes/reform the tariff ✅ More integration between providers
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Ellen O’Donoghue @ellenod.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
I’m looking forward to reading this - congratulations!
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Kit de Waal @kitdewaal.com · 22/05/2025
Me in The New Statesman today on poverty. Please share :)
newstatesman.com
A cold childhood
My unheated home wasn’t a temporary discomfort. The chill got into my bones.
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heatherodox.bsky.social @heatherodox.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
The Mousa broch is mentioned in Orkneyinga saga when Erlendr abducts the mother of Haraldr Jarl and holes up in the broch, besieged by Haraldr. In Egils saga, Björn and Thora elope from Norway and are shipwrecked on Mousa; they spend the winter together in the broch. Two similar stories?
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heatherodox.bsky.social @heatherodox.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
As you can see, I’ve been dragging my long-suffering husband around some of the most beautiful places in the world in search of the Vikings! This is St Ninian’s Isle again, looking back towards the Norse Christian ruins, just barely visible on the skyline.
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Save the Children UK @savechildrenuk.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Children constantly tell us about the shame and stigma they experience due to not being able to afford the cost of school. This new research by @cpaguk.bsky.social highlights the further financial pressure families on low incomes face. 1/3
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
This #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek, and every week, James’ Place is here for neurodivergent men in suicidal crisis. Everyone’s mind is different, and so our therapy approach is designed around the man, rather than one size fits all. For more info about us go to jamesplace.org.uk/support #suicide
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
I’m quoted on the front page of the Observer today. They are looking back at the effects of the pandemic five years on. I say that it is primarily a story of inequalities. The poorest, disabled, young people have suffered the fallout, but this is easy to overlook www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
Hetan Shah, chief executive of the British Academy, said inequality was “the primary story of the pandemic”. “You still find that people from poorer backgrounds are more likely to have been impacted,” Shah said, adding that the rate of long Covid in the most deprived households is double that of the most wealthy.

“One of the dreadful things about the pandemic was that, as a side-effect, there was less money to invest in public services across the piece. The worry is that some of the trends we’re seeing, unless there’s active work to stop them, will continue.”
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Dr Sarah Hughes @drsarahhughesceo.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
In my 35 years in #mentalhealth poor #housing or a lack of has always been the thing that causes significant and enduring harm. Supported accommodation that is safe and close to one’s community is too hard to find. This is an important piece of research 👇🏼 www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
Mental health patients with nowhere to go cost NHS £71m in England, report finds
Accommodation shortages caused 109,000 days of delayed discharge in 2023-24, says National Housing Federation
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 24/01/2025
It's #fundraisingfriday and we want to say a huge thank you to the wonderful journalists who took part in @thetimes.com charity appeal phone in earlier this week to raise funds for us. Thank you so much to everyone who called in and donated.💙 Read more here www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
We're #recruiting for a Clinical Administrator to join our team at James' Place Liverpool. You will be the first point of contact for men in suicidal crisis, and provide admin support to the clinical team. More info at www.jamesplace.org.uk/clinical-adm... #liverpooljobs #suicideprevention
jamesplace.org.uk
Clinical Administrator, James' Place Liverpool | James' Place
The successful candidate will take a key role in facilitating a warm welcome to the Liverpool Centre for men in suicidal crisis.
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Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 23/01/2025
It's been reasonably well established ADHD/Autistic individuals have lower life expectancies. Often this is caused by a lack of adjustments to enable us to access equal healthcare. Add this to the many reasons we need better investment in support and diagnosis. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
theguardian.com
Adults diagnosed with ADHD have shorter life expectancy, UK study shows
Data based on recorded deaths raises concerns around under-diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
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Caitlin Moran @mscaitlinmoran.bsky.social · 22/01/2025
I'm womanning the lines today - my shift is around 5pm! - for The TImes charity appeal. I moaned they hadn't put a photo of me on any of the posters, so they dug this one out. Fair fucks, social media department.
Caitlin Moran looks like a fabulous eighties bitch and James Marriot looks no more than twelve years old
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Caitlin Moran @mscaitlinmoran.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
Tomorrow at 5pm I'll be on the phonelines for The Times' charity appeal: ring in and let's chat! www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a...
thetimes.com
Fancy a chat with Giles Coren or Charlotte Ivers? Now’s your chance
More than 30 of our journalists will take your calls on Wednesday for the last day of The Times and The Sunday Times Christmas Appeal
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Charlotte Augst @charlotteaugst.bsky.social · 21/01/2025
And people with #ADHD and menopausal women and people with cystic fibrosis and organ transplants. It's SCARY.
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Madeleine Sugden @madlinsudn.bsky.social · 20/01/2025
My 3rd UK charities starter pack which I started last week is already almost a third full. Will there be a flurry of new starters I can add this #BlueMonday / #Xodus day?
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Ellen O’Donoghue @ellenod.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Brilliant and absolutely crucial piece on a step change in thinking about suicide from our trustee @roryoc.bsky.social
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Rory O’Connor @roryoc.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
"We need a step change in how we think about suicide" Proud to be a Trustee of @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social who are working tirelessly to support men who are suicidal
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Ellen O’Donoghue @ellenod.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
This is an important - and devastating - article from @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social “It’s only when they’re lying bleeding on the pavement, crying for their mothers while some passing stranger holds their hand, that suddenly the world starts to see them as the children they still are”
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Gavin Kelly @gavin-kelly.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
One of the most successful public policy interventions of recent decades.
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World of Statistics @statistics-feed.bsky.social · 05/01/2025
NEWS: 🇬🇧 New study shows how the UK sugar tax is benefiting children’s health. In the three years following the announcement of the tax in 2016, sugar intake from soft drinks among children halved. (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health)
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Ellen O’Donoghue @ellenod.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
This is a profoundly moving piece - sincere thanks to Farah and Rashid for speaking about their son Omar and sharing their story
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 20/12/2024
Thank you so much Rashid and Farah for sharing your story as part of @thetimes.com Christmas Appeal 💙 Read the full story and donate at the link. www.thetimes.com/uk/society/a... #TheTimes #suicide #suicideprevention #christmasappeal
thetimes.com
‘Our son’s suicide was a mystery. We want his death to save other lives’
Farah Sayeed and Rashid Iqbal were devastated by the loss of their son Omar at university last year. They hope his legacy will help other men talk about mental health
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Robin Hewings @robinhewings.bsky.social · 14/12/2024
Well, here it is providing welcome relief from a trampoline park in Enfield.
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James' Place @jamesplaceuk.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
Great article from @mscaitlinmoran.bsky.social in @thetimes.com last weekend.
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Felicity Hannah @felicityhannah.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Are you a small charity worrying about how to raise money when people’s budgets are so tight? Come ask my expert panel for advice and mention your charity on radio 4’s Money Box. Felicity.hannah@bbc.co.uk to put yourself forward
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Ellen O’Donoghue @ellenod.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Very moving piece in today’s @thetimes.com about Steven who came to James’ Place Newcastle in suicidal crisis. Sincere thanks to Steven for sharing his story and to my wonderful colleagues who were able to help him www.thetimes.com/article/add3...
thetimes.com
I saved a baby’s life — then I needed someone to save my own
When Steven Simpson left the army after serving in Iraq, he spiralled into depression and was diagnosed with PTSD before finding the help he needed
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Karim Palant @karimpalant.bsky.social · 29/11/2024
Are you an ex political adviser with zero remaining Joie de Vivre? Let me know and I will add you to my starter pack go.bsky.app/B5X2Tsg
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