Father faces Three Peaks challenge in memory of son

Ben Nevis is one of the peaks Mr Winter and his daughter will be taking on

A father whose son took his own life is to take on a gruelling charity walk in his memory.

Gordon Winter's son, Finn, was 20 when he took his own life while at Loughborough University.

Mr Winter, from Guildford, Surrey, believes his son's mental health issues were made worse by lockdown during the pandemic.

He told BBC Radio Surrey: "[Finn] found this hard, trying to tell his story to someone he didn't know was a real battle for him."

He is now preparing to tackle the Three Peaks challenge to raise funds for the suicide awareness charity Papyrus.

Mr Winter, who said his son "was one of the first that would admit he had issues and did need to seek some counselling," described the last message he received from him, on a bank holiday in May 2023.

"I looked at my phone and saw a message where he said he loved us very much and was sorry.

"My daughter, my wife, other family members and friends had similar text messages.

"His housemates had heard the front door go about two o'clock in the morning and as it transpired, that was Finn leaving."

Gordon Winter has praised the work of charities which try to prevent young people taking their own lives

Mr Winter said his family received support from the charity Rethink, which he said was "incredibly supportive".

On 22-23 June he and his daughter, Kezia, will set off on the Three Peaks challenge.

They will climb the highest points of Scotland, England and Wales to raise funds for the suicide prevention charity Papyrus.

Mr Winter said: "Suicide is the number one killer in this country for people under 35 and three-quarters of those are male. Men are not very good about talking about their feelings.

"Papyrus offer a 24/7 support line so if someone is thinking suicidal thoughts, they can contact and get help.

"The helpline is open for people who've got concerns about an individual, a parent, a loved one, a friend."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can find help and support here.

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