Preston's heartbreak as Broughton dad of two ends his life after months of "hell"

38-year-old Jason Lawrenson passed away on Monday, July 31, in what was his third suicide attempt, after what his sister, Jade Lawrenson, called ten months of “hell.”

Jason, who Jade describes as a “kind, genuine, hardworking” man and a “brilliant dad” to his 12-year old-daughter and two-year-old son, had struggled with his mental health for a while, which wasn’t helped by a series of unfortunate events in the past year.

In the first instance Jason, a carpenter/joiner by trade, had one of his beloved dogs - a caucasian shepherd called Luna - taken away for ‘sheep scaring’ after she reportedly tried to nip a sheep.

Luna was an “escape artist” according to Jade, who was well known in Broughton for breaking out of the gate, and Jason “fought tirelessly to get her back”.

In October 2022, Jason then fell of a 35-foot high roof, and was in a coma for two weeks with broken ribs, a broken back and brain injury.

“He never fully recovered from this” said Jade, but thankfully on his return to hospital, Jason was reunited with Luna at last.

In the third event, Jason, a lifelong lover of superbikes, had finally been able to return to his favourite hobby when he suffered a crash, with Jade saying “it was just one thing after another.”

In the days following Jason’s tragic passing, Jade told the Post: “He meant the world to me, my best friend, my partner in crime – always singing, always dancing, loving life. You would never have known he was struggling that much. We have a massive family so we’re always there to support each other but obviously Jason was in that bad of a place.”

Jade, a 33-year-old administrator from Ribbleton, has set up a GoFundMe to give Jason a good send off, with any extra cash set to be put into trust funds for his two children. The GoFundMe has far smashed its £5000 target, raising £7,876 in a week.

Jade added: “I just want to thank everyone so far for the donations and the support that everyone has given us. It would’ve meant the world to Jason and it also means the world to us. It’s nice to know that there’s people out there who genuinely care.

“We’re very fortunate to have raised that amount of money, it just goes to show how much of a loved person he was… It’s left a hole in Preston’s heart. It feels very strange day to day but each day you find your strength.”

As part of the GoFundMe, the family have also asked for any bikers to get in touch as they want as many superbikes to ride him along on his final journey to rest as possible. This will be arranged by Bikers Escort UK so check their Facebook if you want to get involved.

Jade also wants to use Jason’s death to help raise awareness for mental health in men.

She explained: “I’m going to set up a charity in his name as well for men because there’s nothing out there really for them, it’s a shame, there’s not enough money in the NHS for men.”

When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at [email protected], or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.