Swindon mum whose son took his life backs mental health campaign

Alex Boxall was described as "a beautiful boy at the beginning of his life"

A mother whose son killed himself is campaigning for people to have "honest conversations" about mental health.

Alex Boxall, 19, from Swindon, died in 2019, and his mother Tracey has been raising awareness of her experience in a bid to prevent more deaths.

She has worked with charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to help people in mental health crisis.

"Alex was a beautiful and brilliant boy who was at the beginning of his life- it can happen to anyone," she said.

"I never spoke to him about suicide, and it is only when you are thrown into a situation like this that you realise how important it is to have an honest conversation about mental health."

Ms Boxall wants people to have "more honest conversations"

CALM runs a free, confidential and anonymous helpline as well as a webchat service, offering help, advice and information to anyone who is struggling.

The organisation shares stories, like that of Ms Boxall, in the hope it "might change someone's mind" about taking their own life.

"CALM have been really supportive, compassionate and sincere to me," said Ms Boxall.

"I hope that my story might help other people know that they are not alone."

Alex's friends and family raised money for a bench in his memory at the park he played in as a child

Part of the campaign work encourage parents to have conversations with their children about those who take their lives.

Wendy Robinson, head of services at CALM, said: "Be honest and say this is what happens to people - but remind them that the solution is never suicide and that there is always another way.

"Talking about it as ordinarily as we can means that it doesn't reach that real crisis point where somebody feels there is no other option."

Ms Boxall hopes she can prevent further deaths like that of her son

Alex's friend Ella said that "he was always there" for her and that she missed him.

"Because of the work performed by charities like CALM, more people are beginning to talk about their mental health and that is so important," she said.

"We need to talk about how we feel more often and people need to know that it's okay to speak out."

If you've been affected by self-harm or emotional distress, help and support is available via the BBC Action Line

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