Parents of a UCLan student nurse lost to suicide set out 200 empty chairs in Preston city centre to mark shocking statistic

The dramatic scene was staged by UCLan and the parents of Mary O’Gara – a Preston student nurse who took her own life aged 27 in May 2020.

As part of World Mental Health Day, they wanted to highlight the shocking fact 200 schoolchildren take their own lives every year.

And now, they are offering free suicide prevention training to all Preston schools and any other organisation who work with or support young people.

Mary O’Gara

Mary was working in the NHS and three months into a Degree Apprenticeship course at UCLan when she took her own life.

She has been described by her family as “truly amazing and unique”. They said she “radiated a warmth that touched your heart, with a smile that could light up a room.”

But she struggled with depression.

Click here to read more about an ‘orange button’ mental health scheme in Lancashire

Following her death, Mary’s parents Sharon and Paul set up the Mary O’Gara Foundation - a non-profit organisation dedicated to increasing awareness around mental ill-health and suicide prevention for young people.

Paul and Sharon O’Gara said: “Not long after losing Mary to suicide we knew that we needed to do something to ensure other families do not have to go through the same pain. For that reason, we decided to start the Mary O’Gara Foundation which aims to prevent suicide in young people across Lancashire.

“The Foundation does this by offering and funding suicide prevention training for anyone working with young people in this area, be it schools, colleges, universities and employers who have a duty of care for young people.

“It is vital that there are people in these settings who have the ability and skill set to spot and support a young person who may be in crisis.

“Partnering with UCLan and the amazing support we have received from the staff working with us on this campaign has been a major boost to our Foundation’s aims and has been extremely rewarding.”

What is UCLan doing?

As well as highlighting the issue on University Square, UCLan has also introduced a Mental Health Charter and new Mental Health Champion training.

UCLan Head of Student Support and Wellbeing Services, Megan Blissett, said: “At UCLan we have a dedicated team of highly trained and experienced practitioners in mental health and wellbeing support. They deliver one to one and group support online and in person taking both a proactive and reactive approach.

“Positive mental health and wellbeing is central to life on all our campuses. Looking after ourselves and each other is vital to a healthy and successful university experience and is championed by all UCLan staff and students.

“Suicide awareness raising and prevention is a leading priority for UCLan. We’re not afraid to talk about suicide, in fact we actively encourage our university community to have a conversation as we know talking about suicide can save lives.”

Help is available

UCLan offer a range of support to all students, including a drop in, available Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm, for advice and guidance on mental health and wellbeing, finance, disability support, international student support and much more.

They also have a Counselling, Mental Health and Wellbeing service that students can refer themselves and offer suicide prevention training.