THE mental health of 999 emergency services has been brought into focus when Our Blue Light came to the region.

Police officers and RNLI volunteers carried the beacon as it crossed through the Teeside area as part of a nationwide tour.

Dave Cocks, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Redcar RNLI said: "The recent high profile incidents in London and elsewhere have really highlighted the work of the emergency services, including those from the voluntary 999 services like the RNLI.

"The relay comes on the back of the Blue Light Programme started by the mental health charity Mind, who's research show's that members of the emergency services are even more at risk of experiencing a mental health problem than the general population, but are less likely to seek support."

Our Blue Light was established in 2016 with the aim to improve the mental health and wellbeing of emergency services including police, fire, ambulance, search and rescue, prison service and the National Health Service.

The relay began in Blackpool in April before passing through Lancashire, the Peak District and then Yorkshire, taking in the Scarborough lifeboat station before arriving at the peak of Roseberry Topping. There the baton was handed over to Cleveland Police to continue its journey.