Sunday, March 22, 2009

About Beachy Head

Beachy Head is cliff on the south coast of England. At 535 feet high it dwarfs the famous lighthouse below. Thousands of tourists visit this spot each day all the year round.



But Beachy Head has a darker side. It has the dubious honour of being the country’s most notorious suicide spot. At least twenty people take their lives here each year. A team of chaplains patrol the Head to provide counselling to those who come here in distress. Up to 40 folk each month benefit from the words of comfort the chaplains provide. There is also a prominent telephone kiosk which connects directly to the Samaritans in Eastbourne.





At the cliffs edge sits a tiny yet symbolic memorial comprising a few stones which have been carried back up the cliff from the rocks below.
T

17 comments:

  1. Hi Keith,
    As soon as i saw Beachy Head,
    it went through my mind jumpers.
    I did not realise just how many though....
    Beautiful place so very sad...

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  2. I'm stunned - never knew the figures.

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  3. Yes have been there - Sussex is a lovely county ..

    Good idea for a B & W ...

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  4. A beautiful place but what a history!

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  5. What a beautiful and sad place. Great shots though, I still think it would be an awesome view. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. beautiful cliffs. can't think why anyone would want to hurl themselves down that though...

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  7. Lovely photos, but horrific place...

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  8. Must be a good place to take a photo but I can understand why it is a place for one to end a life....... sad as that maybe........ it is a fact of life,,,,,, How does one tell someone not to do it?

    These pics are wonderful.
    Thank you for sharing.

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  9. What a poignant post. When I saw the first photo I immediately thought "I shouldn't like to fall off that!". How sad to see that many others have viewed that same fall in an entirely different light.

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  10. What a history ... what an amazing sight

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  11. Very interesting and sad. I can see how high the bluff is by those people standing on the edge. Many people jump off the Golden Gate Bridge here, and now they want to erect a suicide barrier for prevention. Thanks for sharing these.

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  12. I remember you writing about Beachy Head's dubious reputation before. The black and white picture makes it even more stark.
    The little stones on the monument remind me of wooden shoes for some reason.

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  13. It's sad when so beautiful a place has such dreadful connotations.

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  14. Black and White photos sometimes give pictures more feel and depth.

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  15. Beautiful photos of a truly scenic place. The Golden Gate bridge, across the bay from me, has the same sad ongoing history of suicides.

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  16. http://dickiebo.wordpress.com/2009/03/24/lemonade-award/

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