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ALMOST FOUR YEARS after Gary Speed was found hanged in his home, his family are still looking for answers about exactly what happened to him.
But they have found comfort and help in an Irish suicide-prevention charity that launched this week in London, and have donated counselling rooms in the memory of the former Welsh international football star and manager.
The Gary Speed Rooms were unveiled in the House of Lords at Westminster as part of Irish charity Console’s official UK launch, and will be situated in one of their two new centres in London.
Speaking at the launch event, Gary’s mother Carol said that she might never find out what really happened to her son, but that Console had been a big help in her time of need.
“We haven’t got any answers about Gary’s death, and we probably never will, but as a family we know that Console are always there and only a phone call away,” she said.
If the Gary Speed Rooms help one person in mental health crisis, then that will be a success.
Speed was found by his wife hanged in his home on 27 November 2011 when he was 42 years old. An inquest returned a narrative verdict on his death and failed to confirm whether he had intended to die by suicide.
The CEO and founder of Console, Paul Kelly, told TheJournal.ie about how the Speed family contacted the charity after Gary’s death.
“They made contact with us through a friend and we worked with the Speed family, supporting them through their grief and through their loss when Gary died,” he said.
The Speed family wanted to return the help that Console had given them and raised money for the counselling rooms through a series of golf classics attended by football stars such as Michael Owen, Alan Shearer and Gordon Strachan.
“We feel that the golf days have been a fitting memorial to Gary,” said Carol.
“People like Michael Owen have played in each one, and we also have had great support from the likes of Denis Taylor and former Welsh manager Mike England.”
Console
Console is dedicated to supporting people who feel that they are at risk of suicide as well as those bereaved after the death of a loved one by suicide. It was founded in 2002 by Kelly after the death of his sister.
He said that the feelings of guilt and despair his family felt after the death is what inspired him to start the charity, which sought to help those recently bereaved by a loved one dying by suicide.
“And that’s why I founded Console initially – to support those who are bereaved by suicide and to help them through their grief and through their loss.”
Console has since grown into a nationwide suicide prevention charity in Ireland, with a 24-hour suicide helpline and centres in almost every county. Trained counsellors are employed to help those most at risk and it has a text-in service for people who don’t want to make a phone call.
After he gave a keynote note address at a Suicide Prevention and Bereavement conference in England in 2013, Kelly was approached by a number of English organisations – including the NHS and the Metropolitan Police – about setting up a similar service there.
“The UK has a slightly higher suicide rate per 100,00 people (11.9 compared to 11.1 in most recent confirmed statistics) and we feel that our highly specialised services can help make a difference in London and beyond,” he said.
Over 500 people die by suicide in Ireland every year and Console receives over 3,000 phone calls per-month on its Suicide Helpline. It raises much of the money needed for its services itself and is part funded by the HSE.
Console’s 24 helpline can be reached on 1800 247 247 or you can text HELP to 51444 or visit them on www.console.ie.
Helplines:
Samaritans 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Console 1800 247 247 – (suicide prevention, self-harm, bereavement)
Aware 1890 303 302 (depression, anxiety)
Pieta House 01 601 0000 or email mary@pieta.ie - (suicide, self-harm)
Teen-Line Ireland 1800 833 634 (for ages 13 to 19)
Childline 1800 66 66 66 (for under 18s)
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So Jeremy has just been stringing the UK along to see if an election would come first ?
@Liam Morgan: Corbyn never cared about Brexit either way. All he wants is power so he can transform the UK into his socialist paradise. He’s been using Brexit to try and force an election which is his only priority
@Paul J. Redmond: exactly. Once the 2nd ref results in a remain win. May will call an election and corbyn will romp home!!
@Paul J. Redmond: socialist paradise! About bloody time!
@Liam Morgan: Changed tracks the other day, reports approx 70 more labour MP’s were thinking of moving over to the breakaway lot of Umumma. The man is shallow, without principles, the anti semitism row is increasing and will dominate MSM. He’ll be gone soon.
@wattsed56: is he really anti semitic or is he just anti Isreal? There is a difference but it seems these days if you criticise Israel you are painted with the anti Semite brush
@Oliver Jumelle: May is without doubt the worst PM in centuries, no leadership skills whatsoever.
@Gus Sheridan: rubbish she is not even the worst of the last two
@wattsed56: 70 MPs? The breakaway lot won’t accept them if they’re not part of Labour Friends for Israel.
@Jane: The jury is out on him, but he certainly doesn’t help himself with defending the allegations. As for the party whom he leads, most certainly a number of both grass roots – Momentum members definitely yes. Another MP suspended tonight.
@Cormac Ó Braonáin: They’d accept Tony Blair if he were an MP. Says a lot.
@wattsed56: yep. Blair Brown and Miliband were heavily funded by the same group that are heavily funding Labour Friends for Israel and individually donating to the breakaway MPs. https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/asa-winstanley/israel-lobby-funders-back-breakaway-british-mps
@Eoghan Ryan: think she is!
Motions in parliament are not legally binding on the UK government. The only thing that matters is statute, and the statute that is relevant to Brexit is the EU Withdrawal Act which was passed in 2018. That piece of primary legislation (which is the most powerful type of legislation) requires that the UK leaves the European Union on March 29th with or without a deal. The only person who can initiate primary legislation (which is what would be needed to override the EU Withdrawal Act) is the prime minister herself/himself. So, it is really up to Theresa May herself as to whether she wants to undermine Brexit, and subvert the will of her electorate, by delaying her country’s exit from the European Union.
@J. Reid: Perfectly correct. Interesting looking at the numbers in this article, a large number of abstentions I think from both major parties.
@J. Reid: thanks for the clarification
Theres no point in delaying the inevitable. Just f*** off
@Jamie: it’s not inevitable, and there’s every point in delaying it. No Brexit is a positive result for us. We’re all sick of it, but them just f’ing off is not what we want. Not one bit.
So Jacob Rees-Mogg said “any vote to delay Brexit is a plot to stop Brexit” but I don’t see his name up there among the 20 MPs who voted against the amendment.
@David Daly: he voted to allow a meaningful vote on the matter, which is the current government policy, and his is whipped to follow government policy. Once the vote is put to the house, he will presumably vote against it.
But I do see the irony yes.
Anything good on the old telly tonight now that the Muppet Show is over?
Well one thing is for certain …….brexit ain’t happening . This whole thing was just one giant game of chicken !
Its beyond though joke
@Donnacha Bhoicaire: Nicely done fella!
The entire problem here is that many in the UK don’t understand that backstop and don’t appreciate that the introduction of the backstop would be a disaster for the EU.
they no more want it than the UK does. Basically under a backstop the UK will have the advantages of the single market without making contributions and having to accept free movement of people or the jurisdiction of EU Courts and enjoys fishing rights that has annoyed a number of EU countries.
… Also with the backstop in operation the EU will have difficulty negotiating third party trade deals and it’s already an issue in EU/Australia trade negotiations… The May deal is a very good deal for the UK and they should accept it and I am fairly sure they will..
Because they don’t know their arse from their elbow
@Ian James Burgess: Well they’ve been sitting around on their elbows long enough. Time to sort it out once and for all
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