Norfolk dad says he'll continue push to get suicide prevention lessons in schools
The 'Three Dads Walking' met with Government officials to discuss better mental health support in schools
A dad from Norfolk who lost his daughter to suicide is telling us he'll continue to push for suicide prevention lessons to be taught to pupils, as they enter high-school.
Tim Owen is part of the campaign group '3 Dads Walking' which met with Education Department officials yesterday to discuss what they hope will be taught in the classroom, in the future.
He lost his daughter Emily to suicide in March 2020 - and since then has helped raise well over £1.4 million for suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS.
Yesterday's meeting saw the group discuss why there's a greater need for better mental health support to be put on the curriculum.
"There was nobody pushing back about suicide prevention lessons being taught in schools"
Tim told us there' are plenty of reasons to be optimistic after this meeting:
"It was really useful and very valuable, it was chaired by some of the department's senior officials at director level.
"Everyone was on side really and there was nobody pushing back about suicide prevention lessons being taught in schools. There was great concern about the mental health crisis that our young people are facing.
"There was lots of talk around developing 'help seeking behaviours' for young people. This would be something that would age-appropriate, where you are focusing on the idea that if a young person is struggling with something, they should seek help from the adults in their life.
"It's all about giving the schools all the support they need to make this happen. We can't afford to rush into this, saying this is 'tick box' exercise and we need to do something about it now.
"It's about the Department for Education working with the schools and saying if we're going to deliver this, how are we going to do it safely."
'The 3 Dads' work in 2024 at a glance
Tim, 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 were each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King's Birthday Honours list, in June last year.
It's after they completed a 500-mile walk from Stirling to Norwich in May to bring in money for 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.
You can keep up-to-date with the '3 Dads' journey here.
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].