Cumbrian dad, who lost his daughter to suicide, to meet with Government

A dad from Cumbria campaigning for suicide prevention to be taught in school, is telling us that he'll be meeting with the Education Department, later this month.

Andy Airey lost his daughter Sophie to suicide in March 2020- and has helped raise well over £1 million for suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS, through 'Three Dads Walking'.

This round-table is on 23rd the January and will see the group discuss why there's a greater need for better mental support- to be put on the curriculum.

"It's another step forward. The fact the Department for Education are still discussing the draft curriculum that came before the general election is great.

"It shows the work that was done by the previous government hasn't been lost.

"In an ideal world though, this would've happened a year ago. The curriculum would've come forward and been implemented, and today schools would be delivering suicide prevention sessions and work shops.

"We've discovered the mechanisms of government is a very slow thing.

"It is moving though. The critical thing here is we've got so many people from different groups all saying the same thing. Suicide is the biggest risk to our young people and we can't ignore it.

Tim Owen is another member of the three dads waling, he told us that any changes to the curriculum must be carefully done

"We can't burden the teachers with it all. My eldest daughter is a science teacher and they have already got enough on their plates.

"So what we're talking about from a 'schools perspective' is that everybody there is given the support and practical training to help themselves and others, from the teachers to the students and wider support staff.

"The more PAPYRUS offices we get, the more suicide prevention training can be delivered in schools, just like we're doing in the College of West Anglia on the 7th of February.

"It just seems obvious that if we have got some great people working for PAPYRUS, then they can start to grow that network.

"Having suicide prevention taught in school seems like the obvious thing to do. We have met nobody who has told us that this is a bad thing to do.

"If suicide is the biggest killer of our young people in the UK, we need to do something about it. Such as giving them the skill-sets to deal with those emotions. "

'The 3 Dads' work at a glance, in 2024:

Tim Owen, along with Andy Airey and Mike Palmer started Three Dads Walking in memory of their daughters who took their own lives - 19-year-old Emily Owen, 29-year-old Sophie Airey and 17-year-old Beth Palmer.

The three fathers each been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King's Birthday Honours list, in June.

It's after they completed a 500-mile walk from Stirling to Norwich in May to bring in money for the young suicide prevention charity, Papyrus, for which they have raised more than £1.4 million.

The campaign's journey between 2021 and 2023:

-In 2021, 'The 3 Dads' walked 300 miles from Penrith, via Manchester to West Norfolk.

-In 2022, the group walked 600 miles over 30 days, from Belfast to Westminster.

-In March 2023, Parliament debated whether to make suicide prevention a compulsory part of the school curriculum- after a petition they put together got 150,000 signatures.

-In April 2023, the '3 Dads' met with the Prime Minister and Education Secretary (Gillian Keegan) and urged them to support their campaign to get suicide prevention on the school curriculum.

Where to get help

If you, or someone you know is suffering with their mental health, or experiencing suicidal thoughts, you can speak to your GP. If someone's life is in danger - call 999 immediately.

You can also find help and advice from these services:

Hub of Hope - https://hubofhope.co.uk

Samaritans – Call 116123 - https://www.samaritans.org

Mind - 0300 123 3393 - https://www.mind.org.uk

For confidential suicide prevention help and advice, the Papyrus 24/7 helpline can be contacted on 0800 068 4141, by texting 88247 or emailing [email protected].