10/09/2026
💜 9AM | HOUR 10 OF 24
THE PERSON BEHIND THE STATISTIC — COLIN’S STORY
For Hour 10 of our World Su***de Prevention Day campaign, we’re handing our platform over to something incredibly important: **the story of Colin, Colin’s Corner, and the family who continues to carry his memory forward.
When we talk about su***de, statistics are important. But behind every number is a person who had a name, a personality, a family, interests, stories, laughter and people who loved them.
Colin’s daughter created Colin’s Corner following her dad’s death by su***de, turning her own experience of su***de bereavement into a safe space for others who understand this unique kind of loss.
Today, we want you to hear her story in her own words, in full.
September is Su***de Prevention Month, and I felt this was the right time to share the story behind Colin’s Corner and, most importantly, the man behind the name — my dad, Colin. ❤️
I’ve wanted to write this for a while because Colin’s Corner grew from losing my dad, learning to live with that loss and wanting to turn something incredibly painful into something that could help others.
It isn’t just a coffee morning. It came from my own experience of su***de bereavement and from knowing how important it is to have somewhere to go where people understand.
24 April 2024. The day my whole world changed forever.
Dad died by su***de. It was an ordinary day, and none of us could have imagined we were about to lose him. The shock was indescribable.
Our whole family was suddenly faced with a loss we could never have prepared for, and telling the grandchildren that their grandad had died was heartbreaking.
There are parts of that time I’ll keep private, but I was grieving while trying to carry on with everyday life, be a mam and adjust to a world without Dad in it.
I couldn’t cope with work either. I’m self-employed, so taking time away wasn’t easy. I took four weeks off, tried to return, but couldn’t cope and ended up taking another six weeks off. When I eventually went back, I reduced my hours while having therapy and getting the support I needed.
People told me I had children and needed to move forward. Someone even said they were sick of seeing photographs of Dad.
That really hurt!
I wasn’t posting photographs because I couldn’t move on. I posted them because I loved my dad, wanted people to remember him and didn’t want his life reduced to the way he died.
I often say that the day Dad died, a part of me died too. I’m still here, still being a mam, wife, daughter and sister, but I’m not the same person I was before.
You don’t simply “get over it”. You learn to live alongside it.
As time went on, I found myself searching for answers. Why did this happen? Could something have been different? Could we have done more?
Our family knew Dad wasn’t himself. We noticed changes, were concerned and tried to get help. We’re still waiting for Dad’s inquest.
With su***de bereavement, you can be left with questions you may never have answers to. You go over conversations, memories and moments, trying to understand something that can feel impossible to understand.
As we moved into 2025, I started going back to church. I had gone when I was younger, so it gave me somewhere familiar to return to and a place where I could find a little comfort.
During that time, I also started thinking about the lack of local support for people bereaved by su***de.
I kept thinking: What about the families left behind?
That question stayed with me.
The Birth of Colin’s Corner
Dad’s love of travelling gave me another little push. He was fascinated by Dracula and, in 2022, travelled to Transylvania and Bran Castle, sending me photographs while he was there.
I was so jealous! 😂 He encouraged me to go because he knew I’d love it too.
On his 66th birthday, 11 March 2025, I finally went myself. It was incredibly emotional being there, knowing Dad had stood in those same places.
That trip made me think about how I could turn Dad’s memory into something positive — something that could help others going through the kind of grief I knew only too well.
I spoke to the church about my idea before travelling to Romania. Our first coffee morning and launch was planned for 21 March 2025, and Colin’s Corner was born.
I started it as a weekly coffee morning and safe space for people bereaved by su***de. People could come in, have a cuppa, talk if they wanted to, listen if they didn’t and simply be around people who understood. We could also signpost them to relevant local services.
Colin’s Corner came from my own grief, but it was created for everyone left behind — the families, friends and communities trying to find a way forward after su***de loss.
The Remembrance Service
I also wanted to create something specifically for remembrance because having a time and place to remember the people we have lost is so important.
That’s why our remembrance service means so much to me.
Last year, we held our first remembrance service, and this September, during Su***de Prevention Month, we’ll be holding our second.
It’s a beautiful afternoon service. The minister reads out the names of our loved ones, giving us a moment to remember the person behind each name. There are readings, music and moments of reflection, allowing families to come together in a safe and understanding place.
For me, one of the most emotional parts is hearing those names read out. Every name represents someone who was loved, mattered and is deeply missed.
And then we finish the service with my Dad, Colin, singing. ❤️
Hearing my Dad’s voice fill the church is incredibly emotional, but also beautiful. It feels like he is there with us, doing what he loved — singing.
I couldn’t think of a better way to finish it.
It’s not about how they died. It’s about who they were, the lives they lived and the people who loved them.
I know how difficult and lonely su***de bereavement can feel. Being able to bring people together, say their loved one’s name and give them a place to remember them means more to me than I can put into words.
Our loved ones deserve to be remembered for the people they were — not simply for the way they died. ❤️
And to understand why the name Colin’s Corner means so much to me, you need to know about the man behind it.
The Man Behind the Name
My dad was Colin.
He was a proper gentleman — funny, kind, modest and very old-school, but he loved a laugh and was always up for a joke. He could walk into a room and instantly make it feel brighter. He had the biggest smile, and when he smiled properly, you couldn’t help but smile back. ❤️
He loved talking to people, making them feel welcome and as though they had known him forever.
He was born on 11 March 1959 and grew up in South Shields, a proud Sandancer. He was the middle of three children.
Dad met my mam in the late 1970s, and they married in 1980. I was born in 1982, the middle daughter of four children.
My parents later divorced but remained friends and continued to be involved in our lives. They were always there for family gatherings, celebrations and special occasions, so both remained a big part of our family life. ❤️
Thinking back, my childhood was wonderful. We were a close family, and so many of my memories involve music, singing, laughter and days out together. We had trips to places like Whitby and Scarborough, as well as local days out. Whitby has always been especially special to me because of those memories.
Dad was a proper family man and absolutely adored his grandchildren. He used to joke that he looked too young to be a granda — and too young to be a dad! 🤣🤣
He was someone I could talk to, laugh with and rely on. He would come over for tea, look after the kids and take us shopping or on days out.
He was forever telling me off for swearing! 😂 If I was poorly, I’d ring him for advice because Dad always thought he knew best — and, to be fair, he was usually right.
He also loved Monty Python. When I was in the Army Cadets, he would sing The Military Fairy and perform all the actions while my friend and I were trying to get ready. 🤣🤣
And I’ll never forget the time I went clubbing to Roxanne’s, spotted me da and hid under a table because I knew he would tell me off! He chatted away to my friend while I sat underneath, trying not to be seen. I knew I would get caught — and he found out later anyway! 😂
Those are the little memories that make me smile. ❤️
Music, Films, Travel and the Things He Loved
Dad’s love of music was another huge part of who he was. He was a self-taught guitarist and country singer and could also play the piano and other instruments. He loved old-school country and western music, especially artists like Hank Williams and Merle Haggard.
His love of Hank Williams even took him to Alabama for Hank Williams’ 100th birthday celebrations, where he met Hank Williams’ stepdaughter.
Dad had a beautiful singing voice and was brilliant on the guitar. He even made his own CDs, recording country songs and giving them to people he loved. I’m so pleased I still have mine. ❤️
His love of music gave us lovely memories together. He helped with an Old Tyme Night Christmas show at my school, and I performed an Al Jolson medley in an old-fashioned costume and makeup. Dad was delighted and even recorded it. ❤️
Music wasn’t the only thing he loved. He enjoyed old Hollywood films and old-school horror and was a real film buff. His favourite actors included Tyrone Power and Robert Taylor.
I remember going with Dad to see Casablanca at our local cinema. It was lovely having that time together, and he knew I would love it — and I did.
Dad also loved travelling and was fascinated by Dracula. He was a massive Newcastle United fan, and his favourite player was Malcolm Macdonald, whom he even got to meet.
Over the years, Dad met many famous faces, including Bobby Robson, Jackie Milburn, Richard Attenborough, Maureen O’Hara, Vince Vaughn, Russell Crowe and Jennifer Aniston.
One of his most special connections came through his love of Tyrone Power. Dad became friends with Tyrone’s children, Taryn Power, Romina Power and Tyrone Power Jr, and even travelled to attend Tyrone Power’s memorial service.
Dad certainly had stories to tell, and he loved sharing them.
The Impact He Left Behind
Something that showed us how much Dad meant to people happened after he died. Friends from all over the world contacted our family, sharing memories and telling us what a big part of their lives he had been.
It was overwhelming to realise how many people loved Dad and how deeply he had touched their lives. He had built friendships all over the world and left a lasting impression on so many people.
That’s when I truly realised just how special my dad was.
That’s the kind of man he was.
That’s Dad.
That’s Colin. ❤️
Colin’s Legacy
And that’s why I don’t want Dad’s story to be only about his death.
I want people to remember the person he was:
**The music. The singing. The jokes. The family. The football. The films. The travelling. The places he loved. The memories.**
The man behind the photographs.
The dad behind the grief.
The person behind the statistic.
My dad wasn’t a statistic.
He was Colin. My dad. A grandad, brother, uncle, friend and so much more.
I want people to remember how he lived, not just how he died.
I set up Colin’s Corner because I didn’t want others going through su***de bereavement to feel as alone as I did. If I can give someone a safe place to come, talk, listen or simply sit with people who understand, then that means everything to me.
If Colin’s Corner helps even one person feel less alone, then something positive has come from something incredibly painful.
I never wanted Dad’s death to be the end of his story because he was so much more than the way he died.
He was a dad, grandad, brother, uncle, friend, musician, storyteller, football fan and traveller — a man who could light up a room with his smile and make people laugh.
He was Colin. His life was filled with love, laughter, music, family, friendship and memories, and that is what I want to carry forward through Colin’s Corner.
His story didn’t end on 24 April 2024. It lives on through his children, grandchildren, family and friends, through every person whose life he touched and through every cuppa, conversation and person who walks through the doors of Colin’s Corner and feels a little less alone.
I don’t want Dad to be remembered for how he died.
I want him to be remembered for how much he was loved.
That is Colin’s legacy.
❤️ My Dad. My Colin. Forever loved, forever remembered. ❤️
Thank you to Colin’s family and Colin’s Corner for allowing such a personal story to be part of our World Su***de Prevention Day campaign.
You can find out more here:
page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61589855815497
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2265582967170494/
SAP;UK | Your Story Isn't Over
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