A total of 1600 hand-cut and decorated hearts were hung in the Corbett Gardens over the weekend, to acknowledge the loss of 3139 Australians to suicide in 2020.

Members of the Southern Highlands Suicide Prevention Program (SHSPP) hung the hearts on October 23.

"It was a lovely day to see people come together," said SHSPP chair Carmel Averillo.

The hearts were decorated by volunteers, youth groups and a local primary school.

The charity began the Hearts in the Park initiative at the gardens in Bowral last year.

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The SHSPP was established in 2002 and united with other health groups in response to a series of suicides in the region in the 1990s and 2000s.

The charity's mission is to support those who have lost a loved one to suicide and those who have attempted to take their own lives and have survived.

Suicide prevention in the region is also a core focus.

"Hearts seem to be something families cling to when losing someone to suicide," Mrs Averillo continued.

"It is a beautiful way to have an honest conversation and break down the stigma of mental health, and wake people up."

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The charity chair explained that the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide has improved in the Highlands.

"It is not so taboo anymore and it is exciting to see a shift," she said.

The Moss Vale Evening CWA joined forces with the SHSPP and brought some colourful and wooly additions to the garden.

"We put up the yarn bombing to augment what they had," the branch's President Jennifer Bowe said.

"It was great to support another community venture and talk to people once again."

Wraps from the branch's yarn-bombing in Leighton Park were used along with a knitted web, hearts, butterflies and pom-poms for the installation.

Restrictions on entrants to the gardens meant the SHSPP had to think about how to reach more people in the region.

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"We requested contact before the event and wrote the messages for them and sent photos just in case they could not get there," the chair explained.

"There was lots of social media contact which was lovely.

"It was nice to hear people's journeys."

Many also extended their support for the initiative on social media.

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