A MUM who lost her son to suicide has stressed the importance of ‘Creating Hope Through Action’ to help people see there is an alternative.
Sarah Horton-Walsh faced her fear of heights last month by taking the plunge to dive out of a plane at 14,000 feet in memory of her son, Harry Horton-Walsh who lost his life to suicide.
Sarah, who works for Coventry University, was part of a 21-strong group of Harry’s family and friends who jumped out of the plane and raised £5,572 for young suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS.
Today (Sunday) marks World Suicide Prevention Day.
Sarah said: “It’s mad – I’ve never had a feeling like it when I jumped out of that plane and people keep telling me that I never stopped smiling.
“But honestly, I felt like Harry was with me.
“It was such a strong feeling I could feel it inside and it was lovely.”
Sarah added creating hope through action will serve as a powerful reminder there is an alternative to suicide and that through our deeds people can encourage hope and strengthen prevention.
“Suicide is a really horrible thing that in most cases is preventable and, shockingly, it kills more people under the age of 35 than anything else.
“It’s about having a series of small or large actions that can be used to create hope.
“I have long found it really difficult to see hope and I try not to look too far forward, but doing things like the skydive gives me that little bit of hope and I’m just going to hold on to that.
“Whether it’s a skydive or just a conversation with somebody there are everyday moments that we can all contribute to – a bit of action that can give other people hope.”
