On an overcast day last month, Brighton & Hove Albion FC’s men’s team were winning 2-1 against Tottenham Hotspur at a British Premier League football match, when a former insurance broker was invited on to the pitch side to address the tens of thousands of people in the stadium.
Dean Gallagher has been going to Albion matches since 1973. He is also a passionate volunteer for the suicide prevention charity the Samaritans.
Gallagher remembers feeling bewildered as his voice boomed around the venue during the half-time break. But he pressed on to speak about why it’s okay to talk about suicide.

