Angela Samata
Specialisms: Suicide, Suicide Bereavement, Co-production, Art and Mental Health
Angela presented the BBC1 BAFTA nominated and winner of the Mind Media Award for Best Factual TV documentary, ‘Life After Suicide’.
The film encouraged discussion and exploration of mental health issues, challenging the stigma of suicide. Describing her own experience and that of her children after her partner took his own life 15 years ago, Angela travelled the length and breadth of the UK talking to others who had experienced the same loss.
The documentary was aired as part of the BBC’s Mental Health Season InTheMind and was watched world-wide by over 5 million viewers Angela represents the views of those bereaved by suicide and was for 4 years, Chair, and is now Ambassador, of the Survivors of the Bereaved by Suicide.
Angela was also invited attendee of the All Party Parliamentary Group looking at Suicide Prevention in England and Wales. Co-author of the NHS70 Parliamentary Award winning SeeSaySignpost training, which has to date been accessed by 250,000 people globally, her charity work, together with the making of the documentary was recognised as Angela was named as the Merseyside Woman of the Year 2016 and awarded an Honorary Fellowship by Liverpool John Moores University.
As an Arts professional for over a decade, Angela lead the John Moores Painting Prize at the Walker Art Gallery and continues to work freelance with individual artists and arts organisations, while also speaking publicly about mental health issues.
Often her work in Mental Health and the Arts come together and in 2018 she completed a Winston Churchill Fellowship to the USA and Japan looking at both disciplines, visiting in patient units and arts studios in both countries. Angela is a non-executive director of Speakers Collective.
