Mum who lost son to suicide leads walk to start mental health conversation

A woman who lost her 19-year-old son to suicide has led dozens of people on a walk to encourage families to start conversations – no matter how tough they might be.
Tracey Boxall’s son Alex died in 2019, and she has spent the past three years working with the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
She was joined by more than 80 people for a 16-mile walk around Swindon on Sunday 26 October, raising awareness and money for the charity.
It is the fourth year Ms Boxall has organised the event, known as the Lost Hours Walk, in memory of her son.
Ms Boxall told ITV West Country: “Alex showed us no signs whatsoever that this was his intention. He was on holiday with his friends and something that night just went wrong.
“I can’t change it, but what I can do is change the lives of other people.”
She added: “I’ve learnt from this tragedy that everybody is smiling but actually, underneath the smile, you don’t know whether they’re paddling under the water.
“You don’t know what’s going on in their lives. You don’t know about their emotions or their family background or their struggles with jobs or friendships.”
Holly Tingey, Alex’s friend, said Ms Boxall has helped her to have conversations with her friends, even if they feel challenging.
“Tracey’s done so much for us all in a lot of ways,” she said. “She brings us all together and she influences us to talk more.”
Ms Tingey added: “She doesn’t hold back on the conversations, and it’s inspirational to see because I think for some people it can be really difficult to talk but it goes a long, long way.”
CALM helps people find the support they need through a confidential and anonymous helpline as well as a web chat service offering advice and information to anyone who is struggling or in a mental health crisis.
This year, Tracey has so far raised more than £13,000 for the charity.
Simon Gunning, CEO at CALM, said Tracey is “like a force of nature”.
He added: “Aside from the money, it’s the fact that people are here talking about the subject. We know as a society we need to talk about it because talking about it confronts it. Talking about it prevents it.”
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