Students walk to raise awareness of suicide

The Teesside leg of the walk ended at Middlesbrough College

Students across north-east England took part in a series of sunrise walks on Wednesday to raise awareness of suicide.

The walks were inspired by businessman Alisdair Beveridge, whose brother took his own life at the age of 15.

Mr Beveridge wanted to raise money for a suicide prevention project, while encouraging young people to speak about their mental health.

"What I hoped to get across to these kids and their peers is that however dark your mind gets, and however helpless your situation might feel, give yourself time," he said.

• If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can find advice here.

Students from colleges in Middlesbrough, Redcar, Newcastle, Gateshead and Durham set out as early as 6:00 GMT to greet the sunrise.

Their efforts helped to raise funds for the Teesside-based Headlight Project, which aims to reduce the number of suicides in the area.

Mr Beveridge said the event was "more about the message than the money".

"We were just walking and getting the message across that it's ok to talk about mental health," he said.

Alisdair Beveridge wants schools to teach children how to address their mental health

Mr Beveridge's brother, Callum, died in 2009.

"Callum didn't have a family of his own or business to worry about or a job to lose," Mr Beveridge said.

"But that's the thing with mental health and suicide, it doesn't discriminate.

"No matter who you are, nobody is immune to this.

"The important thing is to talk about the fact we all have worries and fears.

"If my Callum was on a cloud now, he might be able to see that whatever he was worried about that day would have passed and he could still be here now with us."

The Teesside route ran between the Tees Barrage and Middlesbrough College

Pupils from Middlesbrough College, Newcastle College, Stockton Riverside College, Gateshead College, New College Durham and the Northern School of Art participated in Wednesday's walks.

Mr Beveridge hopes to see the events held annually.

“I would like every college in the country to get involved,” he said.

“The statistics about suicide in young people are frightening – it’s horrendous and totally avoidable."