Tunisia beach attack anniversary: "I'm lucky my son survived"
It has been 10 years since the mass shooting
Last updated 26th Jun 2025
A Sandwell woman who lost her father, brother and one of her sons in the Tunisia beach attack told us she feels "lucky" one of her sons made it out alive.
Today (26th June) marks 10 years since the mass shooting on a beach in Tunisia, killing 39 people.
What was the Tunisia beach attack?
On 26 June 2015, 38 people - including 30 British nationals - died when a gunman opened fire on the beach in Sousse.
One of those people was 49-year-old Adrian Evans from Tipton in the West Midlands.
They lost their life alongside 78-year-old Charles (Patrick) Evans, and 19-year-old University of Worcester student, Joel Richards from Wednesbury.
Suzanne's story...
Those three people were Suzanne Richards' father, brother and son.
Suzanne's other son, 16-year-old Owen, survived the terror attack. He broke the news to his mum from the hospital.
"My life changed completely. I dropped to the floor because I just couldn't believe what Owen was saying to me," she said.
"He was my reason to carry on"
Suzanne says the fact her son survived made her feel lucky, despite losing three of her family members:
"Owen was only 16 when it happened. The situation could have been a lot worse. He was my reason to carry on.
"My brother, son and father were lovely. Everybody who met them absolutely adored them. They were three of the nicest guys you had ever met," she said.
"Giving the families that need it a hug"
Together the two of them set up the 'Smile for Joel' charity.
The charity raises money to give families experiencing a tragedy a holiday or a treat. Suzanne said she set it up to keep her relative's names alive:
"The work we do is giving the families that need it a hug. It could be as simple as paying for a gym membership for a lad who has just lost his dad," she said.
Advice for holiday-goers...
Suzanne also uses the charity to advice holiday-goers before they go abroad:
"You can sign up to get emails from the Home Office on the destination you are going to once you have booked your holiday.
"I would urge anyone to sign up to receive notifications about changes to your destination, because they could be really important," she said.