Mother backs private care scheme after son’s suicide

Gemma Cayley-Smith said the 'talking bench' would be a help for others like her son

The mother of a teenager who took his own life is supporting an initiative to help young people struggling with their mental health to access help privately.

The body of Tristan Taylor, 15, was found at his home in Gravesend, Kent, in May 2023.

A bench was installed in Higham Recreational Ground with contact details for the Elliott Holmes Memorial Fund, which offers a self-referral counselling system for those aged 13-18 living in Gravesham.

Tristan’s mother, Gemma Cayley-Smith, said: “How many people might sit on this bench, read the plaque and think, ‘Actually, I need to talk to someone’?”

The memorial fund was set up by Elliott Holmes’ family after he took his own life in June 2020.

It offers up to 12 counselling sessions and is looking into providing post-counselling support.

Ms Cayley-Smith said the “talking bench” was for her son and his friends, but also to help others.

She said: “There is still a stigma that young men should be men’s men and should not show emotion and feel pain or hurt.

"And that is still something that is in society today. But we need to step up and help people.”

The bench directs people to Elliott Holmes Memorial Fund, which offers self-referral counselling

Kerry Holmes, Elliott’s mother, said: “Unless you’ve lost a child, nobody understands.

“We don’t want anyone to go through what we went through.”

Peter Scutts, Elliott’s stepfather, said the fund has helped 257 young people since April 2022.

He said: “The lesson to be learnt from all of this is the tremendous impact that we have all achieved in a very short space of time by engaging the community and giving them the opportunity to take a shared ownership in this problem.”

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, help is available from BBC Action Line.

Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.