THE parents of a ‘loving’ teenage boy who apparently took his own life at the weekend are calling for more to be done to support young people with their mental health struggles - and they says if it helps just one family by speaking out then it is worth it.
Tom Turner, 17, of Carlton, was found early on Sunday and his heartbroken mum, 56-year-old Lisa Turner, told the Chronicle her son was a ‘loveable’ character who was adored by those that knew him.
She said: “I didn’t realise quite how popular he was until this happened.
“There’s been more people getting in touch than I could have imagined.
“He never let anyone hurt anyone else.
“He was just so loveable but he began to get worse and worse mentally as he went on.”
Lisa said it was ‘heartbreaking’ when she found that Tom had died - and the teen was due to have an interview for the army on Tuesday.
“Last week he gave me a list of food that he wanted so he could put some weight on for the army,” she added.
“That’s all just in my freezer now.
“He wanted to go into the army and I was so proud of him.
“I went to the place where we found him earlier this week and I felt some peace.
“I can’t say that’s how I’ll feel every time. I’ve just got to take every day as it comes now.”
She said that Tom found it hard to speak about his struggles - and she’s calling for more support to be given to young people who find themselves in similar situations to her son.
“I think that he felt like he couldn’t get any help,” she added.
“He felt like he didn’t stand a chance.
“I’ve had some of his friends say that they don’t think they did enough but they absolutely did everything that they could.
“There needs to be more mental health support for young people. They need all the help and support that they can get.
“You see it all the time in the news about this happening. It breaks my heart that young people feel like this.
“I know that it’s too late for Tom, but if we can just help one person then it’s all worth it.”
A fundraiser set up in Tom’s memory has already raised more than £7,000 and she admits that she’s been overwhelmed by people’s kindness over the last week.
She added: “People have been doing fundraisers themselves and then there’s the main fundraiser, too.
“I’m just so overwhelmed - I can’t believe how many people have been in touch.
“It makes me so happy knowing that he was loved.
“I knew that he had a lot of friends because they were around the house a lot but I didn’t realise quite how many.
“It really does make me feel a lot better. I’m absolutely exhausted but everyone is being so kind. It really is so comforting.”
No date has been set for Tom’s funeral, but Lisa says she feels comforted that he will now be with her dad.
“He’s at peace,” she added.
“I just want to give him the send off he deserves. He’s with my dad now.”
Tom leaves behind his family and friends, including brother Nathan and sisters Holly and Rosie.
NUMEROUS organisations and agencies are available to help people who are having thoughts abvout taking their own lives. They include:
Kooth: Online support for young people aged ten to 25. Free access to text support from professionals, self-help resources, and discussion boards. More info at https://www.kooth.com/.
Branching Minds Barnsley: Local mental health support services for children, young people, and families. Request support at (01226) 107377 or compass-uk.org/services/compass-be-barnsley-mental-health-support-team.
The Open Up Directory: Interactive map of wellbeing and youth work organisations in Barnsley.
This includes HOME, the early support mental health and emotional wellbeing hub.
More info at https://chilypep.org.uk/home-barnsley/open-up-directory-2/
Samaritans - call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.
