Prince William Opens New James’ Place Centre in Birmingham

We are pleased to announce that James’ Place, one of our grantees, has opened a fourth new centre in Birmingham.

The new centre, which was officially opened this month by Prince William during Mental Health Awareness Week, marks an important step in expanding suicide prevention support for men across the Midlands, building on the impact it has already made through its centres in Liverpool, London and Newcastle.

Founded in memory of Newcastle University student James Wentworth-Stanley, James’ Place provides free therapy to men experiencing suicidal ideation in calm, welcoming environments designed to feel more like a home than a clinic.

As reported in an article in the Times (11 May 2026), during the visit, Prince William spoke about the importance of early intervention and greater openness around suicide prevention:

(Link to article - Prince William opens suicide prevention centre in Birmingham)

“We need to talk more about suicide, we need to talk more about preventing it. We need to talk more about getting to young men and women earlier so that we don’t have to have these centres in the very long run…”

The Birmingham centre has already begun accepting referrals and is expected to support up to 500 men every year, providing free access to professional therapy.

David Riddell Memorial CIO Support for James’ Place

David Riddell Memorial CIO has supported James’ Place over several years as part of our commitment to improve suicide prevention and to provide help to people when they need it most.

In 2023, our funding helped James’ Place open its Newcastle centre six months ahead of schedule, allowing hundreds more men in crisis to access support sooner. In its first year alone, the Newcastle centre supported 425 men experiencing suicidal crisis.

After seeing the impact that the Newcastle centre had in its first year, we were pleased to support the opening of James’ Place Birmingham in 2025. The new centre will be able to provide even greater access to specialist suicide prevention support for men across the Midlands, helping many more people each year.

Partnerships like this show the importance of long-term investment in practical, compassionate mental health support. James’ Place has developed a model that is both evidence-based and personal, giving men immediate access to trained therapists during moments of acute crisis.

A Growing Need

Since launching in 2018, James’ Place has supported more than 5,100 men in suicidal crisis. Men account for more than 75% of suicides in the UK, highlighting the need for targeted and accessible support services.

The charity hopes to open a fifth centre over next year, further extending its reach across the UK.

At the Birmingham opening, Prince William, who has now opened all four James’ Place centres, spoke about the importance of expanding the charity’s work nationally:

“I can only hope that we can get your organisation more around the UK because it’s in need of it sadly.” (Source: Times Online 11 May 2026)

For more information about our partnership with James’ Place, visit our James’ Place project page.