Dad praises suicide prevention training in Jersey

9 hours ago

Chris CraddockJersey communities reporter

Rob Mason's daughter Kezia took her own life in 2022

BBC Rob stands outdoors in a sunny urban park area, wearing a dark pinstripe suit jacket and light blue shirt. Buildings and trees are visible in the background under a clear sky. — Rob Mason's daughter Kezia took her own life in 2022

A man whose daughter took her own life in 2022 said it was "heartwarming" to see people from different backgrounds take up suicide prevention training in Jersey.

Kezia Mason was 14 when she died and her father Rob Mason helped start Kezia's Fund to help pay for support for others struggling with their mental health.

Some of the money has been used to pay for training provided by the mental health charity Mind Jersey.

Rob Mason said suicide was "such an unknown subject area" and "the first port of call to start to break that barrier is education and that comes in the form of training".

Kezia's death helped raise awareness of suicide prevention in Jersey

Mason Family A close-up of Kezia who has blonde hair styled in braids, wearing a decorative leaf-patterned headband. Warm lighting gives the image a soft, golden tone. — Kezia's death helped raise awareness of suicide prevention in Jersey

The fundraising, started by Kezia's brother, quickly raised more than £100,000 and now has become an established fund to support mental health causes.

It helped pay for suicide prevention courses with the Institute of Directors (IoD) in Jersey, where the messages were well-received by those attending.

Mason said: "There's not one group of people, one demographic, that isn't affected by these thoughts" and "it affects so many people and so many families".

He added: "We know a lot of people's lives have been affected in a positive way by the projects that the charities have delivered that Kezia's fund has been able to support".

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC's Action Line.

Alex Ruddy from the IoD has helped share suicide prevention training with Jersey business leaders

Alex sits in a modern conference room with large windows overlooking a cloudy waterfront. She is wearing a dark long‑sleeved dress and is seated on a chair near a long wooden meeting table. — Alex Ruddy from the IoD has helped share suicide prevention training with Jersey business leaders

IoD chairwoman Alex Ruddy applied to use money from Kezia's Fund to pay for suicide prevention training with Mind Jersey with other business leaders.

She said: "I was a little bit shocked that what I thought I should be saying to people who were struggling is actually completely the wrong things... getting that training into businesses for me was really important".

"It is quite normal to have these thoughts and to be able to talk to somebody about those struggles," Ruddy added.

"It should be an open and transparent conversation and it is definitely not something to be embarrassed about."

Ally Le Boutillier from Mind Jersey said these were topics more people should be talking about

Ally stands in a training room wearing a black blazer and green patterned top. Behind her, a large screen displays a slide titled “Suicide Awareness – Ally Le Boutillier – Head of Training.” — Ally Le Boutillier from Mind Jersey said these were topics more people should be talking about

Ally Le Boutillier is the Head of Training at Mind Jersey and leads the courses.

She said "just having a little bit of awareness can actually save someone's life" and "it absolutely affects everyone - every one of us has that capacity to take our own lives".

Le Boutillier added: "We talk about signs to look out for and starting a conversation about better understanding how somebody in crisis might be feeling and letting them know what support's available."

Mind Jersey runs the courses throughout the year and offers training to various groups and organisations.