I’M Amy Meadows from Poole and I’ve had the immense honour of being one of the first of 8,000 Olympic torch bearers.

Under glorious sunshine I skipped and jumped with my torch through the centre of Yeovil on Tuesday, May 22, in front of a huge, cheering crowd.

(Although I am a local Poole resident I got allocated a Somerset slot!).

The torch is a stunning work of art. It’s taller, heavier and a much brighter gold than you would expect.

I held my torch high in memory of my mum, Judi, who tragically took her own life after a short but intense fight with depression and also the other families around the country who have been bereaved by suicide.

An old schoolfriend kindly nominated me for my suicide prevention work as, after my mum’s death, I established the Judi Meadows Memorial Fund.

To date I’ve raised over £200,000 and the funds are being used to undertake research to increase understanding of why certain people turn to suicide and to try to improve policies and practices to help those at risk.

I hope that my participation in the Olympic torch relay will help spread the message that to tackle suicide we have to talk more openly about it.

It’s vital so we can learn from tragic deaths and also because the evidence shows that if someone says they are suicidal they are not more likely to take their own life if you talk to them about their feelings.

I’d also like to encourage everyone to take to the streets to show their support when the relay passes through Poole and Bournemouth on Friday, July 13, and the New Forest on Saturday, July 14.

It’s an amazing experience for spectators as well as participants. Please visit judimeadows.com