My Uncle

Was the best uncle any niece could wish for

Hi, my name is Daisy and sadly at the end of last year I lost my uncle James to suicide and I’d like to tell you a little bit about him.

James was going through a really difficult time at home which led him to develop mental health problems and he was taking medication for this. I saw him most weeks as he would be over at our house a lot. He took me to my Prom, called me the morning of my dance show and after I got my GCSE results and took me to get my makeup done, just because he could, whilst buying me whatever I found in Manchester and we finished the day with a meal in Selfridges.

He was one of the most hard working, brave, kind and funny men I knew and I love him more than words can express.

On the 1st of November 2025, my uncle James took his own life because he thought that was the only way out and mine and my families lives flipped upside down. Finding out one of you favourite people has gone is the hardest thing I’ve ever been told and talking about this man, who was such a big inspiration to me in the past tense, breaks my heart.

In the UK around 74 to 76 percent of all suicides yearly are men and it is one of the biggest killers for middle age men. There are so many different organisations available to help people in despair including:-

The Samaritans, who have a 24/7 helpline

Andy’s mans club, which is a place for men in similar head spaces to get together and offload

Mind, one of the biggest mental health charities.

If someone is feeling this way, it can be so hard to spot. What I mean by this is that my uncles Instagram bio was:-
creating a life I love, one day at a time. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Not afraid to be different, daring to be bold.

If you take anything from this it is to encourage you or others to speak up. Whether that be going to your friends house unannounced for a coffee because they’d been a bit dry messaging recently and hadn’t seemed like themselves, or planning that night away with your best friends for you to get out of the house or even just on a drive with someone you know needs it. Please check on everyone around you because you never ever know what goes on behind closed doors.