Gravesend mum Gemma Cayley-Smith discusses the idea behind a new talking bench for her son Tristan Taylor who took his own life after suffering with his mental health.
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00:00 we wasn't aware of how much Tristan was struggling at any one time and Tristan had ADHD and I think
00:06 that that is a big part of his decision on the day as well. But yeah, talking makes such a
00:13 difference, talking to someone you trust or a professional makes such a difference. I mean,
00:18 we've heard testimonies of people that have been through counselling from Elliot Holmes Memorial
00:24 Fund and you know, they've said they've given them tools, tools that they can use going forwards in
00:28 life to help them reflect and take stock of the situation and really understand how they can react
00:36 and respond positively to things rather than feeling lost and despair and you know,
00:43 your mind going to a place where it's not a great place to be. So yeah, absolutely, it is so
00:52 important because I'm sure I wouldn't want to be a teenager these days and you know, the world isn't
01:00 an easy place to navigate with social media and schools stretched with budgets and support. It's
01:08 not easy and I think the world's a bit mixed up with people believing that if they post everything
01:18 online, then that's them talking and sharing but actually it's not. It's them exposing vulnerability
01:25 and I suppose just sharing everything with everyone but nothing's helping them, nothing's
01:32 helping them to manage it or cope. And I think that's where counselling, listening and talking
01:37 and understanding methods that you can utilise to help yourself cope better or even encourage
01:43 them to talk to someone that's in their family or someone they trust that's close to them too
01:47 that's so important to have a network of support.