Ashley has always been a hard working and dedicated young man. Right from primary school through secondary school and college, he was constantly complimented by teachers about how helpful, polite and beyond his years he was.

Ashley didnt always get the highest grades but he always gave 100% in everything he did.

Still a teen and having barely left school, Ashley very bravely came out as a gay man and this seemed to lift a huge weight from his shoulders.

On leaving college, Ashley gained a place at Plymouth University and started a 3 year degree in International Relations with Politics.

The first year at uni was not good for Ashley. Academically he was fine but his focus was being affected by his own mental turmoil. He was feeling alone and isolated in halls. The move from home, sharing a flat with strangers who remained in their rooms most of the time and being unable to reach out to friends, sent him into a downward spiral.

At some points during that first year, it looked like he had taken the wrong path and he questioned if a degree was something he could ever attain.

We, as his parents, and his siblings gave him as much support and encouragement as we could and he just managed to scrape through that first year without failing the course.

The 2nd year was to the 1st, like night is to day.

Ashley moved from halls into a shared house with people he knew. His work gained momentum and going into the 3rd year it looked like he was on track to gain his degree. There were even whispers of a first which he always shrugged off.

ThAshley graduated from Plymouth with a first class degree with honours and was even placed on the Deans list for his outstanding work. A massive acheivement considering his rocky start.

On occasion through this whole process, Ashley would struggle with inner turmoil. Confidence, self worth and relationships were things that would hinder his everyday life but he was able to suppress these feelings and move forward.

After Plymouth, Ashleys attention turned to the possibility of doing his Masters degree, to give him the edge once he was out in the big wide working world.

in the interim Ashley signed up as a volunteer with the International Citizen Service and spent a month in Zimbabwe with a charity providing educational visits to outlying villages covering healthcare. Ashleys dissertation had been written regarding land reform in Zimbabwe, so to go there was perfect for him and it reinforced his interest in African culture and politics.

On his return, Ashley enrolled at Bristol University to do a Masters in international development and security. A very short degree, as are most masters degrees with only 49 weeks to complete all of the assignments and another dissertation.

It was at Bristol, that Ashley started to have some mental health problems that he had managed to supress before. He started to get panic attacks and br unable to interact or attend lectures because of them.

He would sometimes find himself wandering aimlessly or sat on a bench in a park with no recollection of why or how he was there. We would receive phone calls from him in a distressed state of mind and we would have to talk him down and send him to seek help. It was always in our minds that currently Bristol University had the highest suicide rate of any university in the UK.

The year at Bristol was peppered with these types of episodes and this was affecting Ashleys ability to focus on his work. Assignments were being extended and marks were ‘just’ passes. The dissertation deadline was extended because he had not been able to even start it when it had been due.

in the meantime, Ashley had applied for and got a job in London. So in one week he had to write his dissertation, interview in London. Pack up all his brlongings, find somewhere to live in London and move house.

We helped as much as we could but it was a massive upheaval and one that took its toll on his mental health.

The new job was started and at the same time Ashley was still writing his dissertation. His state of mind was such that he chucked as much content down as possible and submitted. Hoping to scrape a pass but prepared for a fail.

The new job was very full on and he was thrown completely in at the deep end, taking over a half completed project to relaunch the organisations website plus being given half of someone elses work in advocacy due to staff shortages.

Again the anxiety and panic attacks have returned. Ashley again feels isolated, lacking in confidence and self worth. He know he should be happy to be living in London because thats where he always wanted to be but his mood and anxiety have left him in a cycle of work, home, sleep and constant looking at ways to change himself.

However, Ashley has taken the very positive step of talking to a life coach and therapist. After a 90 minute session it has become clear that a course of therapy which involves lifestyle, fitness and mental health would be very brneficial.

The sticking point is the coursr costs £1300

As much as we would give him every last penny we had, we simply cant raise that sort of money alone.

So my appeal is this.

Please help us to raisr £1300 to help my son.

Any contribution would be gratefully received.

Thank you for reading this far.