Bereaved dad says being aware of mental health could have saved 17-year-old daughter

ITV Granada Reports' correspondent Mel Barham has spoken to mental health campaigner Mike Palmer.

A father whose daughter took her own life during lockdown has said if he had been more aware of mental health he could have spotted the signs before her death.

Mike Palmer, from Sale, lost his 17-year-old daughter Beth in March 2020 and has since raised thousands for suicide prevention charity Papyrus. 

He was part of a trio of fathers, called Three Dads Walking, who walked across the UK in memory of their daughters who took their own lives and to raise awareness of mental health.

Mike hopes people will use Mental Health Awareness Week, which takes place from 9-15 May, as a 'way in' to talk to loved ones about how they are feeling.

He says being aware of the signs of depression and mental distress could save lives.

"We didn't know that Beth was struggling with her mental health. However, hindsight gives us all the clues", Mike explains.

"The way that she was maybe acting, some of her language. If we had been more aware and maybe taken more notice of things like mental health awareness week, we might've seen the signs with Beth."

Mike joined forces with two other bereaved dads - Andy Airey and Tim Owen - to not only raise money charity but also start a conversation about suicide awareness.

He said: "We are just dads that's all we are, but I think that's why people saw us for that we were ordinary dads - we'd lost our daughters.

"It built momentum because people weren't talking about it and they felt that we were - we were talking openly about mental health and suicide and our losses.

"It gave them the opportunity, the permission, to come and talk."

According to Papyrus, 200 school children take their lives every year in the UK.

Mike and Three Dads Walking are calling for more education around suicide prevention, urging the government to put it on the national curriculum.

"The biggest danger to young people is themselves. Yet no one is talking about it", Mike explains.

"There should be more education It needs to be talked about. It has to be age appropriate, and it is just one angle of equipping our young people for the rest of their lives to look after themselves, to look after their loved ones, to look after their friends, and to be aware that there is help out there."

Three Dads Walking has now raised almost £900,000, which enables them to accelerate plans to open their Hopeline UK helpline to 24 hours a day.