https://Makingsomenoise.co.uk

My name is Jess and I lost my 14 year old son to suicide on the 27th September 2021.

Mason was a beautiful, kind, funny and an inquisitive soul and his death has left us devastated. Life will never be the same without him.

Mason's interests were countless; fishing, woodwork, falconry, water sports, Anime, gaming and much more. He also had brilliant friends and teachers, plus a network of family, neighbours and a range of people in the community around him. Mason volunteered, he worked, he was told he was loved and valued. Like many other young people, Mason experienced family breakdowns, trauma and he struggled with going back to school after lock down. On a normal Monday afternoon Mason walked around 20 minutes away from his home and sent messages to me and a friend to say goodbye. Mason said he loved me with all his heart. But Mason still took his own life.

I am safeguarding trained and have worked with young people with mental health problems for years. I still didn't see that my baby boy had reached a level whereby he felt that this was his only option.

Grief gives you 20:20 vision, clarity on every conversation, every traumatic experience and every missed opportunity.

I am talking to Mason's friends, hearing from professionals and trying to identify the factors that caused Mason’s death, in some hope to prevent others also leaving us too soon. I have already learned so much through the letters Mason left me, I’ve listened to the playlists he constantly had streaming through his ears and am starting to build up a deeper understanding of Mason’s world.

In Mason's name, we have set up a charity called Making Some Noise. We offer young adults safe face2face spaces to connect, experience and share. We take their views and share them authentically and anonymously, to improve other people's experiences.

All donations now go into the charity to provide support for young adults struggling with isolation, anxiety and connection.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I can't bring Mason back but I hope to be able to find some way of preventing other young people from feeling the way Mason did.