“We didn’t want this to be the end of Kade’s story”, say a Whitby family channelling grief from losing a son and a brother into a campaign for change in the town’s mental health provision.
As Kade Purvis’ family and friends prepare to put their best foot forward for a 20 plus mile charity walk from Scarborough to Whitby next weekend – his family hope they can be part of a much needed change to help prevent other people from taking their own lives.
Kade, who died on May 3, aged 27, had struggled with his mental health for some time – and had also struggled to get help, despite trying.
His family revealed Kade was “begging for help”, but told two days before he died he “wasn’t poorly enough”.
The family were “angry” at first says his sister Megan, but their cause now is not about criticising the NHS or staff, who also want to see more, but standing with them in the fight for change.
She told The Anchor: “There is an anger that comes with there not being enough support and help. I started channelling my grief into wanting to make a change. There needs to be more in Whitby for people.
“The amount of loss that Whitby has had of young men – it is frustrating that people have to go further afield or can’t get help. There have been more since Kade and change is needed.”
Megan, along with Kade’s mum, Liz Ahmed, and the wider family would like to see more easily accessible help and services, which are community based and in Whitby.
“Kade wanted to see that change and be part of it, and as much as it hurts this won’t change what happened to us and Kade, it might help somebody else. Just one is worth it”, added Megan.
On Saturday August 1, Kade’s family, friends and supporters of the cause will undertake a 21 plus mile walk from Yorkshire Coast College on Scalby Road, Scarborough, walking back to Whitby along the Cinder Track, via Kade’s house on Nightingale Drive and into town for food and drinks.
Any funds raised on the day, and through a GoFundMe page, will be donated to The Mental Shift, a community interest company based in Newcastle, dedicated to improving young male mental health.
The family were already aware of The Mental Shift after a cousin of Kade and Megan took their own life last year.
Megan and her boyfriend completed the Manchester Marathon in aid of the organisation in April and Kade had said he also wanted to raise money from an event.
Megan said: “Kade wanted to raise money for them and that is why we have stuck with it. The charity focuses specifically on young men and we know the statistics for young men being much higher for suicide.”
Going forward, Kade’s family hopes to do an annual event each year in his memory and to raise money for mental health charities.
Megan said: “We didn’t want to be a family which went into silence and not talk about him. We didn’t want this to be the end of Kade’s story.”
Kade grew up on the east side of town and went to East Whitby primary school and then Eskdale before the old Whitby School. He worked at The Magpie, Terry’s and The Whitby Catch.
He played rugby, football and “lived and breathed” Newcastle United – he even got a black and white dog and named him Bobby after legendary Newcastle manager, Sir Bobby Robson.
Kade was also involved with the Lads, Dads and Grandads football group from its inception. It was set up to bring men, teens and boys of all ages in the town together to encourage friendship and talking through the platform of football.
LIz said: “Kade was never not funny or messing around and you could not get into that church at the funeral, it was packed, but in his head nobody liked him.
“That is what he kept saying. He said ‘people like me but my head won’t let me believe it’.
“If he could have seen what everybody is doing for him now.”
