Teesdale family speaks out after son takes his own life

THE family of a teacher who took his own life are urging other young people to talk about depression – amid warnings of a “national crisis that can no longer be ignored”.
Matthew Robinson, formerly of Bowes, had a wonderful future ahead of him. The talented and outgoing 24-year-old had begun a career as an English teacher in London after studying at Oxford.
The ex-Barnard Castle School student took his own life on Sunday, October 2. It happened just hours after he enjoyed a night out with friends and after phoning his father, Michael, who retired from work on the Friday.
Last year, 1,659 people under 35 committed suicide in this country. Matthew’s parents, Michael and Ann Marie, along with brother Chris, are raising awareness of the issue in an effort to help stop other tragedies.
They have already raised more than £13,000 for national charity Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide, which last month revealed that young suicide in the UK is at its highest level for ten years.
“Suicide is the biggest killer of young people in the UK. It is a national crisis that can no longer be ignored,” said Ged Flynn, chief executive of Papyrus, which has set up a helpline for those under-35s who need help.
The Robinsons are urging people with suicidal feelings to make the call and talk about their problems.
Michael said: “I spoke to Matthew the previous day and he was joking with me about me not having a drink at my retirement party because I wanted to drive home. We chatted about Middlesbrough football club and he seemed fine.”
Matthew was out in the pub with friends at the time and had made plans for the next day. He died in the early hours. Matthew’s younger brother, Chris, added: “I saw him two weeks before and he was on fine form.”
Matthew is described as being someone who “wore his heart on his sleeve”, as well as a “rebel” who loved his music and was good fun to be around. His family say he was not shy and retiring by any means.
Matthew studied at Oxford, before spending a gap year working at Richmond Brewing Company in Richmond, North Yorkshire.
He took a masters degree at Queen Mary University of London and was later employed as a teaching assistant at Ark John Keats Academy, in London. His ability shone through and the academy agreed to fund his teaching qualifications.
Matthew loved his job and was just about to start a new class, his family say. His passion for English literature was said to be an inspiration to the pupils.
His popularity was shown at a celebration of his life at The Georgian Theatre, in Richmond. More than 200 people attended and a number of them read out personal tributes to him.
His death came all the more of a shock because he was the sort of person who would normally express his feelings. The Robinsons have set up a Justgiving webpage to raise funds for Papyrus in his memory. On it, Michael wrote: “Papyrus does wonderful work to prevent suicide amongst the young and Matt had asked us to donate to it in the past. I can’t think of any better way to try to make some good come out of the appalling tragedy of his death than to raise some money for this fantastic cause.”
They have been amazed by the response so far.
“We started with the aim of raising £2,000 but hit that in a couple of days,” Michael said.
A report from health think-tank King’s Fund says 40 per cent of mental health trusts in the UK saw their income fall last year rather than grow, despite commitment from central government to increase it.
They family are backing calls for greater government action on mental health.
Matthew’s mum, Ann Marie, said: “Most people would probably expect car accidents to claim the most young lives in but it’s not true. There needs to be more to prevent this – it needs to be dealt with head on.”
Although Matthew’s situation was different, suicide can be a big issue for isolated rural areas like Teesdale.
The Rural Services Network last year reported that some rural occupations – including farming – have high suicide rates and those who develop mental illness in rural areas seem less likely to seek treatment compared to people in urban areas.
In a statement issued on World Mental Health Day on October 10, Papyrus said: “Theresa May, on the steps of 10 Downing Street, promised much in her opening remarks as Prime Minister regarding mental health. She must now make this a top priority and demonstrate her personal commitment to saving young lives. We can think of nothing more important than stopping young people killing themselves. Surely it is the primary duty of any government to protect the public.
“Many parents who are part of Papyrus have lost children to suicide, often finding out only after the young person’s death that services provided to their child were inadequate. Many feel they are parenting in the dark, unable to find information from clinicians and other services.
“Papyrus wants all political parties to signal their commitment to reducing young suicides and to make it a priority.”
To donate money to Papyrus in memory of Matthew Robinson, visit http://bit.ly/2fbRAWb
Are you a young person thinking about suicide, or concerned about a young person? Contact Papyrus by calling 0800 0684141, texting 07786 209697, or emailing pat@papyrus-uk.org