Bereaved Swindon mum demands Government boost mental health services
Tracey Boxhall's son Alex took his own life in 2019
A bereaved mum from Swindon is urging people to open up their struggles with mental health.
Tracey Boxhall has battled anxiety since her son, Alex, unexpectedly took his own life in 2019.
She's calling on the Government to boost mental health services to help other families avoid the pain she endures.
Tracey told Greatest Hits Radio that her family wasn't supported properly when Alex had an experience with someone taking their own life as a child.
She said: "When we needed help as a family because Alex had been affected by suicide, it literally got brushed under the carpet.
"It was literally 'Alex will be OK, let's not talk about it', and if I'd had the tools back when he was younger to talk about it, then I would hope he would still be here today."
Since 2019, Tracey has helped support mental health charity, CALM (Campaign against living miserably) with the Lost Hours Walk, where she and others impacted by suicide go on a 16-mile walk around Swindon.
This year, 80 people will be joining Tracey on that walk, which has so far helped raise tens of thousands of pounds for CALM.
PM must make mental health services 'top priority'
Tracey is just one of many parents who will be demanding action from the Government to help prevent people taking their own lives.
She said that Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer, would have the issue at the top of his to-do list had the tragedy of a child taking their own life impacted him.
Tracey said more investment in support services and charities such as CALM is desperately needed.
"Over the last three years, anything that I've been able to do to give them money I've been doing.
"I do believe it's really the government that should be giving them the money and giving them the support, but they're not helping.
"So, it's the likes of me, a devastated mother who's been left without her son, I've got this fire in my belly that is is going to make a difference."
The power of talking
Since losing her son, Tracey has learnt the power and importance of a conversation, describing the power of talking as 'immense'.
She said it can let people open up.
"So many people are hiding things," she said, continuing: "Just to sit there and to look at somebody's face and to sort of gauge how they're feeling. And I think if we're looking hard enough, we can actually see it."
And while she is calling on more from the Government, Tracey said we can all play our part in helping people with mental health struggles, simply by showing more kindness to others.
Tracey said: "If we're all just a bit kinder to each other, it really can make such a difference to somebody's day.
"Just smile at somebody, just say hello to somebody, that is just as important because we don't know when we're crossing paths with people what's really going on behind their closed doors."