Suicide: Mum's plea to young people after daughter's death

A mother whose daughter took her own life has urged young people to "reach out and ask for help" if they are struggling with their mental health.

Emma Webb's daughter, Brodie Morgan took her own life last year when she was just 16.

Emma, from Newport, has recently completed a 285-mile walk to raise money for a suicide prevention charity.

She said it was important for those the same age as her daughter to know there is help out there for them.

• Families bereaved by suicide ask for more help

• TikTok rolls out support to combat suicide searches

• Uni urged to change exam process after suicide

"Brodie was such a special, special girl. Always making people laugh. So clever in everything she did, everything she achieved," Emma said.

Not only was Brodie a talented showjumper, she was also predicted to excel in her GCSEs, having already got an A* and an A in Maths.

Emma, 46, and her daughter had a close relationship, spending all of their time together

Emma said she was aware there had been some "issues" in school and that she had been "struggling' for the previous few months with feeling isolated.

"But there was no indication that she was going to do what she did that night," she said.

According to Emma, 10 March last year had started as a pretty normal day. After picking up her daughter from school, they headed towards Usk, where Brodie rode her horse Archie.

"I thought she was taking a bit of a long time to get him onto the horse walker. I went to the stable and she just wasn't there. She'd gone."

Mum Emma says Brodie was always happiest when with her horses

After family, friends and the police were called, a search was undertaken. A few hours later she was found dead. She had taken her own life.

"I can't really put into words and explain how I felt. You just think it's not even happening… the shock. I don't really remember that evening at all," said Emma.

'She was my purpose for living'

"We had such a close relationship. I just couldn't believe that Brodie would have done something like that without speaking to me.

"She didn't leave any messages for her family, but did send messages on social media to some of her friends, to say how much she loved them and that she was really sorry.

"She was my life, as she was my purpose for living really. It's just left me broken-hearted without her. It's difficult to get up and carry on.

"She was my only child, she was the most important thing in my life. So it really is hard to carry on and yeah, I miss her so much.

"I needed to find some purpose to carry on and get out of bed," she added.

Since the death of her daughter, Emma says she is keen not "to sit and struggle"

Eighteen months later she began walking. Her aim was to complete 285 miles (459km) in memory of the 285 people who died by suicide in Wales in 2020.

More than 500 people between 10 and 24 years old killed themselves in Wales and England in 2020.

Youth suicide prevention charity, Papyrus, said suicide continued to be the leading cause of death among under 35s in the UK.

On what would have been Brodie's 18th birthday, Emma completed the final 12 miles, walking from her resting place at a church in Newport, to where she used to ride her horses at Usk.

Inspired by three fathers who walked 300 miles in memory of their daughters, Emma has raised more than £7,500 for Papyrus.

"I just hope that Brodie would be proud of me. I hope Papyrus are proud of me," she said.

On completing the walk, Emma said her daughter had been on her mind throughout

"I'm so grateful for all the support and the donations. I just hope we can get young people to realise that it's OK not to be OK."

Her goal now is to ensure other young people speak out if they are struggling with their mental health.

"Obviously, some young people would rather speak to somebody that they don't know and they're not familiar with rather than their parents - being teenagers. So I just think it's really important that young people know that there is help out there for them.

"If you're having thoughts of suicide, please, please, if it's talking with your parents or friends, please reach out and ask for help because, you know, it causes so much devastation and nobody would want the outcome that I had with Brodie."

If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this article, information on available support can be accessed at BBC Action Line.