Ollerton: Families want town to talk after suicides

Jane Beardsley said her son, Paul, had "a heart as soft as a brush"

Families say they want to turn a Nottinghamshire town into "the town that talks" following several suicide deaths involving young men.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said seven men from Ollerton under the age of 40 took their own lives between June 2021 and July 2023.

Jane Beardsley, whose son Paul died in 2022, said men "do have feelings".

She has joined calls for more help and support to be made available following the deaths.

Mrs Beardsley and Paul's father Mark Gamble have set up a community interest company called Paul's Pit Stop following his death - a nod to his love of cars and the town's mining history.

The 31-year-old took his own life in January 2022.

'Waste of a life'

Mrs Beardsley described Paul as a "big lad, covered in tattoos, with a heart as soft as a brush".

She said: "When Paul died, the pain was like nothing I've ever had before.

"My heart physically hurt. We never dreamt he'd do anything like this.

"It's the old story that men don't cry. But men do cry and they do have feelings."

The couple have since heard about other deaths in Ollerton, and are now taking action.

Paul's Pit Stop is running events to raise money for mental health awareness in the town. 

Mr Gamble said: "It's a waste of a young person's life. Ollerton is a pit village and it used to have a community which has now gone."

Everleigh Frame's boyfriend Devon Singleton took his own life in May 2023

Everleigh Frame's boyfriend Devon Singleton took his own life in May 2023, aged 28.

Ms Frame, 23, said: "I had absolutely zero idea that he would do what he did.

"It's easy to hear that number and forget about the lives that are permanently changed for the people who have survived. 

"All the families have been ripped apart."

Ollerton mayor Lee Brazier says he believes the town has one of the highest suicide rates in the country and has been "forgotten".

The issue is personal to the councillor, who said he attempted to take his own life in 2018.

"Those young lads haven't had that opportunity to see the impact their death had," he said.

"Ollerton has been left behind and it has led to seven families losing sons, brothers, uncles and fathers."

He has joined pleas for more support and called for Nottinghamshire County Council and the government to help.

Lee Brazier has called for more support from the county council and the government

Scott Carlton, Nottinghamshire County Council's cabinet member for communities and public health, said "every death by suicide is a tragedy".

"Where deaths by suspected suicide do occur, we work with our partners to monitor data through Real Time Surveillance so that timely support and responses can be put in place," he said.

"There is always support available and we encourage anyone who is experiencing thoughts about suicide to speak to someone who can help."

The Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.