What is HollysPombombs?

After Holly took her own life in July 2018, her sister Anna wanted to do something to commemorate her birthday that felt joyful and fun. The sense of despair and sadness across Holly's community was suffocating and we needed something positive to focus on and work towards. Holly was a very creative person, and often enjoyed crafting with her family, including making pompoms. So Anna came up with the idea of ‘pombombing’ public spaces in order to raise awareness of mental illness, and encouraged others to make pompoms and decorate somewhere for all to see. When it grew a little bigger than we thought it would, Holly's friend Hettie got involved too, and now she can't ever imagine not pombombing.

Friends, families and colleagues rallied together and rose to the occasion. By the end of Holly’s birthday month, hundreds of people all over the world had made pompoms, pombombed somewhere or shared a photo. The colourful balls of love were catching strangers attention, encouraging them to reach out to ask for or offer help, starting conversations, sharing messages of hope and acceptance and most importantly of all, talking about Holly.

Why are we pombombing?

We hope that the pompoms can bring an awareness of the fragility of life, be a conversation starter and a reminder that help can be sought and given. Prompting people to share their love, pain, grief and stories is a step towards breaking the stigma of mental illness, keeping memories alive and letting others know we care. Opening up to others can be an incredibly hard thing to do but there are always people who want to help and want to listen, whether it be a friend, family member or helpline.

These are the dates we are currently pombombing...

Holly's Birthday - 13th February

Mental Health Awareness Week - 15th-21st May

World Suicide Prevention Day - 10th October

Keep reading to find out more about Holly, our past Pombombs, support links and how you can get involved.