Suicide Prevention Film: In memory of Paul Castle

GLOBALLY, ON AVERAGE, 1 MAN DIES BY SUICIDE EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY

IN ENGLAND, 16 PEOPLE DIE FROM SUICIDE EVERY DAY

FOR EVERY 90,000 (capacity of Wembley Stadium) PEOPLE IN ENGLAND, 14.2 WILL DIE FROM SUICIDE

I’ll just let that sink in for a second ….

In memory of my father, and to raise awareness around this devastating issue, I along with 2 very old friends, Luke Brookner and Alex Horlock, want to create a film to highlight not only the struggles of those who decide to take their own lives, but also the emotional challenges faced by those left behind. I lost my father to suicide in 2010, it will be the 13-year anniversary of his death on the 17th November. Back then there was very little support for people in my situation and I felt a sense of loneliness as well as not knowing where to turn for help. Thankfully things have changed a lot since then but there is still a lot of work to do. After filming, we aim to partner with a charity to make sure this short film gets as much exposure as possible.

I can't help but think if mental health wasn't such a taboo 13 years ago, I might still have my dad today. My dad was the definition of a “macho man”. In the 22 years I knew him, he never took a day off work no matter how sick he was. He was always the life and soul of the party and always appeared to be happy. No one knew what was going on in the mind of this seemingly indestructible man, who showed no signs of weakness. Evidently, that pressure grated at him, he didn’t think he could talk to anyone, and the final result was catastrophic. I don’t want anyone to experience the loneliness my father felt ever again, and no family to go through the pain that we experienced, and still experience to this day. It gets easier, but it never goes away.

I have been fundraising for suicide prevention for 3 years now and have raised just under £25,000 for Movember. I work part time for the charity travelling up and down the country sharing my story. I have also participated in many podcasts where I discuss my experiences and mission.

You can view the full version of the podcast here.

In 2020, when I first started raising money for Movember, I decided to share a first hand account of what happened to me the day my father took his own life. You can read it here. There are many more articles on my linked in page about my dad so please do check them out.

Director Luke Brookner works with the world's biggest brands, from Meta to Adidas. He has also written and directed a number of acclaimed short films, inspired by personal experience. His multiple-award-winning 2020 short, "I Got Through", examined the experience of bereaved children and young people.

Alex is an award-winning creative lead and copywriter at London advertising agency Wunderman Thompson, and has worked with a long, long list of brands, including The Times & The Sunday Times, HSBC, Microsoft, Duracell, and BT.

To be able to create this short film, we need your help. We aim to raise £10,000 as quickly as possible. Every little helps so please dig deep.