Mums in 265-mile walk in memory of three sons

Kim McCarthy, Liz Hurlstone and Michelle Dore want to get young people talking about their issues

Three women who lost their sons when they took their own lives are walking 265 miles in a bid to encourage young people to talk about their problems.

Liz Hurlstone, from Staffordshire, said she wanted something positive to come from "the utter devastation of losing a child to suicide".

She, along with Kim McCarthy from Northamptonshire and Michelle Dore from Kent will set off on Friday.

They are supporting the charity Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide.

Their walk will take in several schools and the mums hope to spread their message of speaking out to pupils.

Mrs Hurlstone said her son Seb, 17, was "a bright, intelligent, funny, sensitive, very competitive, sporty, kind, and handsome young man, with so much to live for".

But despite his confidence he "always found dealing with and talking about his emotions impossible" and had a "fiercely stubborn streak", she said.

At the time of his death he was undergoing assessment for autism and found normal social interaction "difficult and draining".

He struggled through lockdown and despite doing well academically, he died in November 2021.

Mrs Hurlstone said if he had been able to talk about his issues "things may have been very different not only for him, but also for the very many people who still love, miss and remember him daily".

Seb Hurlstone had "so much to live for", his mother said

Kim McCarthy said her son, Hayden, lost his father to suicide at the age of just five, and believes he hid "struggles he'd been having from a young age into adulthood".

She said he was diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, but found a job he loved, working at a pub and seemed happy to have found his independence.

When he then took his own life aged 21 in 2019, she said the family was in "deep shock" and the turnout for his funeral showed how he was "so well loved and badly missed by everyone".

She said: "If Hayden realised the impact he had on people and how much love and joy he brought into our lives I know he'd still be here."

Kim McCarthy's son, Hayden, took his life in 2019

The death of Michelle Dore's son Maxi came completely out of the blue.

"He had no mental health issues whatsoever, he was communicative, happy and had so much to live for," she said.

There was not a "single moment" in his 17 years when she said she thought "he seems sad".

Ms Dore said: "My message to one and all is, quite simply, if Maxi did what he did then this can happen to anyone - and I mean anyone. It is frightening but it is a fact."

Michelle Dore said she never suspected her son Maxi was unhappy

The three women now plan to walk from Ms Hurlstone's home in Madeley, Newcastle-under-Lyme, to Northamptonshire and finishing in Kent where Ms Dore lives.

Ms Hurlstone said all three of them had contacted Papyrus separately, asking to fundraise and were put in touch for the walk.

They had now formed a friendship because of their shared experiences and said it was important because no matter how good a support network you have, it was hard to understand what they had been through.

"This walking challenge will give us, as mums, the chance to make a difference, to show that there is help and support out there and that many young suicides can be prevented," Mrs Dore said.

She added: "We need to smash the stigma around suicide, encourage families to have open and honest conversations, guide our young people out of the darkness and get them the help they need and deserve."

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article you can visit the BBC Action Line pages for help.