Carers will be trained in the vital skills of stopping people committing suicide.

A course has been launched to teach carers, health workers and members of the public how to recognise warning signs in a suicidal person.

They will learn new techniques in providing effective support to stop somebody taking their own life.

The scheme covers East Sussex - home to Beachy Head, the UK's most notorious suicide spot - and is designed to reduce suicide rates.

The Lewes and Wealden branch of national charity Mind ran an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (Asist) course at the weekend to mark World Suicide Awareness Day on Sunday.

Rob Fellows, Asist coordinator at the branch, said: "Anyone can be at risk of suicide and 75 per cent of those who die by suicide are not in contact with specialist health services.

"It is vital that the wider community has the skills to recognise and support those at risk." He added: "Physical first aid skills are taught widely across society - and rightly so.

"Yet we are far more likely to come across someone in severe distress and at risk of suicide than to be faced with a heart attack victim.

"By learning the Asist model, we can all make a difference and the benefit lives on."

The scheme was supported by Lewes Mayor Councillor Merlin Milner, who will take the two-day intensive course along with county council employees, NHS staff and voluntary workers.

Councillor Bill Bentley, lead cabinet member for adult social care at East Sussex County Council, said: "This internationallyrecognised course aims to help people learn to recognise signs and estimate risk of suicide.

"They will become more effective at helping those people who may be at immediate danger.

"If this course leads to just one life being saved it will have been worthwhile."

Shadow Health Minister Tim Loughton MP was also in Lewes for the launch and said: "Projects such as Asist are playing a vital role in the struggle to improve the mental health of our communities."

Asist, which is partfunded by East Sussex County Council, has proven so effective in preventing suicides, it is now used in a dozen countries and been adopted by the American military.

In 2004, the last statistics available, there were 5.5 suicides per 100,000 women in the South-East, which was below the national average of six per 100,000.

There were 16 suicides per 100,000 men in the South-East, also below the national average of 17 per 100,000.

No statistics are available for East Sussex.

For more information about Asist, contact Rob Fellows at asist@47western road.co.uk or on 01273 488660.