A SUICIDE prevention organisation has stepped up its patrols amid the coronavirus crisis to help keep an eye out for struggling Islanders.

Suicide Prevention and Intervention Isle of Wight (SPIIOW) has put more staff on walking and driving patrols across key areas, to give advice to anyone who may be suffering.

Sarah Adams, of SPIIOW, said: "The team members and the trustees are always looking at ways to keep people in our community safe and awake them to the hope that there are other ways forward to address the problems they face.

"We had plans in place to undertake this, but due to the current situation we have had to bring this forward and now work hard to bridge the gap in funding."

Paul Green, mental health nurse practitioner for the group, said: “The world is a very different place at the moment and we are all being asked to change the way we live and interact with others. As a result there is an increased demand on services providing support for those who feel they can’t cope at this time.

"SPIIOW provides a vital service in preventing suicide on the Isle of Wight.

"Our team members will be out and about in key locations across the Island and it is therefore imperative people who feel there is nowhere else to turn, reach out to us and also any friends, families, colleagues etc, who are concerned about someone, encourage them to talk and if needed contact SPIIOW.

"We are all in this together, and together we can get through this.”

Find out more on spiiow.org/