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Thomas Evans raised £360 from 6 supporters

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Closed 19/10/2018

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£360
raised of £5,500 target by 6 supporters

    Weʼve raised £360 to support people suffering with depression and anxiety and contemplating taking their own life.

    Eastbourne, UK
    Funded on Friday, 19th October 2018

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    Story

    Hi there, I'm Thomas, I'm 29, from Eastbourne, and on the 14th January 2018 I decided to end my life at Beachy Head.

    My story

    In June 2016 I graduated from university with a degree in business and I secured my dream job at a company in Brighton. I rented a flat to start and fast forward one year I was looking at houses to buy. I was incredibly lucky that my parents had saved for me my entire life so that I would have a deposit and my salary had just increased meaning I could afford a mortgage. I was in a relationship and my girlfriend at the time was also keen to buy, and my life seemed to be going perfectly to script.

    This all changed in July 2017 when I was called into my managing directors office to be told I was being let go. My world came crashing down. I was embarrassed, ashamed and in denial. I didn't tell anyone what happened and I began the search for a new job.

    Four months and hundreds of job applications later and I was still unemployed and living a lie. I was now suffering with depression and anxiety and my family, friends and girlfriend still had no idea I had lost my job and what I was feeling. I was depleting my savings by the day and making every excuse not to see anyone.

    In November 2017 my behaviour and sudden reluctance to talk about our future or buying a house pushed my girlfriend away and she left me. At this point I sunk, further and further into depression. I wished and I begged myself to be honest with my friends and family, but I just couldn't.

    My last hope was an interview on the 20th of December, and after 3 nail biting weeks I got the news I had dreaded - although it was 'very close' somebody else had been given the job.

    At this point I felt like my time was up. I had tried everything and achieved nothing, not to mention that at the end of January I would run out of money; all the money I had saved and everything my parents had saved for me would be gone and I would have nothing left. I didn't leave my flat for a week, constantly asking why me? How has this happened? and then I made my decision.

    It was a Sunday evening and I drove from Brighton to Eastbourne. In the 30 minute drive I thought of nothing, my mind was entirely empty and to this day I can barely remember the drive. I drove past my parents house and stopped outside. The curtains were closed and I could only make out shadows from the television but I sat and watched for over an hour. At 9pm I started my car again and in just 20 minutes I was pulling up in a dark space in a secluded area of Beachy Head.

    At this point I had made my decision, and I knew what was about to happen. This was not an impulse move but one that had been debated over for weeks in my head. I decided against writing a long note but I left a note on my phone telling my family that I love them.

    I left my car and my belongings and walked slowly to the edge of the cliffs.

    As I got nearer I began to make out the outline of a man. He was standing on the edge looking down. Before I could even register what was happening I grabbed him from the edge and screamed 'what the hell are you doing!'. He started to cry. Then he told me he was there to die and I started to cry. He explained that he had lost his wife to cancer and he had no other family and he couldn't go on any longer. In that moment I thought of my family, the people I was about to leave behind, and it put everything into perspective. The man asked if I worked at Beachy Head and I explained I was there for the same reason as him. We sat and spoke for over an hour and realised that we both had so much to live for, and so much to be thankful for.

    In the blink of an eye I felt alive again. My mind which was once empty was suddenly full of thought. As I walked back to my car I cried tears of relief that that man was standing in between me and the edge.

    After letting the events sink in I drove straight to my parents house and I told them everything. The weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders and I was ready to approach life from a different angle. My parents were as emotional as I, and they just wished I had spoken to them sooner. I decided to stay at their house for a few weeks and four days later I received a call. It was the company I had been interviewed for in December to say they made a mistake rejecting me and wanted to create a new role in the business just for me.

    I couldn't believe how things could change so drastically in a week, not least my mindset and mentality towards life.

    Unfortunately others aren't so lucky - in the last week alone 7 bodies have been recovered from Beachy Head, including one individual who travelled from Norway to take his life at the site and these statistics are not unusual.

    My experience led me to begin 'Talk to Thomas'', an organisation that aims to make an effective and lasting impact.

    Our Work ...

    Locally

    Talk to Thomas aims to help on the front line, where I almost took my own life -

    Myself and other volunteers visit Beachy Head 7 days a week to try and make a difference for those who have made a decision to end their life. Our team is unique in that at some point in the past each individual came to Beachy Head with the intention of ending their life, but each, in different ways managed to overcome their troubles and now wants to help others do the same.

    Nationally

    This is where the majority of our funds will be used;

    Talk to Thomas will provide an online chat platform to support both sufferers of mental health issues and also families of those suffering. The platform will provide a place to talk to people who have been through mental health issues and also mental health professionals who will be on hand to offer support and someone to talk to anonymously when feeling down, needing help, or advice or support with a loved one.

    Thank You!

    Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you found this helpful, interesting, inspiring or anything else positive. I would be incredibly grateful for any help you can offer, and I look forward to updating you with our work.

    Thank you all in advance

    Thomas

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    Thomas Evans

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      6 years ago

      Thomas Evans started crowdfunding

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      Page last updated on: 10/10/2018 12.17

      Supporters

      6

      • Anonymous

        Anonymous

        Oct 10, 2018

        £250.00

      • Anonymous

        Anonymous

        Sep 7, 2018

        £25.00

      • Anonymous

        Anonymous

        Sep 7, 2018

        £15.00

      • Anonymous

        Anonymous

        Sep 7, 2018

        £35.00

      • Staffan  Terje

        Staffan Terje

        Aug 9, 2018

        Happy to help. Lost my father to suicide. Wish it didn’t happen.

        £30.00

      • Anonymous

        Anonymous

        Jun 29, 2018

      What is crowdfunding?

      Crowdfunding is a new type of fundraising where you can raise funds for your own personal cause, even if you're not a registered charity.

      The page owner is responsible for the distribution of funds raised.

      Great people make things happen

      Do you know anyone in need or maybe want to help a local community cause?

      Create you own page and donʼt let that cause go unfunded!

      About Crowdfunding
      About the fundraiser
      Thomas Evans

      Thomas Evans

      Eastbourne, UK

      Weʼre raising funds to help people locally in Eastbourne and nationally suffering with depression or contemplating suicide.

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