Hi,

I'm Adam, Helen Swift's son.

As you may be aware, Helen sadly passed away suddenly Thursday 26th February.

It's still very difficult coming to terms with the reality of her sudden passing. Although, it has been made that little bit easier with the amount of thoughts, well wishes and support friends and family have provided during this difficult time.

I and the rest of the family are eternally grateful to these people and those who knew and cared for my mum throughout her life.

She was a very strong willed, intelligent, caring family woman who would usually like keeping herself to herself. However should you need it, she would fight your corner or drop everything to come and help you.

As incredibly difficult and sad as it is to write this and say goodbye, I'd like to remember the good times we all had with her. It would be greatly appreciated if you could share a happy memory in the giving part below or feel free to send me it privately which I can share with the rest of the family.

A few of my memories that come to mind immediately would be…

Her love for cooking, gardening, music and animals was apparent to anyone who knew her. The things she used to cook up were out of this world, it felt like an injustice to me and my Grandad if we were to go out for something to eat as a 'treat' instead of a Sunday roast.

When it came to animals, she could never say no. Cats, dogs, gerbils, she gave so much love and attention to them all. I found an injured hedgehog when I was young which I convinced her to adopt for a short while. She didn't take much convincing, but our cat wasn't too happy with our new lodger.

I'd like to think her music tastes has had a contribution to how I grew up and who I am today (after all, she did name me after Adam and the Ants). Anything from Beautiful South, to Ozzy and as far as the Scissor Sisters, no genre was off the table.

I've started this justgiving page in order to raise money and awareness for Mental Health in our local community. It's a subject very close to my heart and Helen had unfortunately struggled with it for most of her life, which wasn't always abundantly clear to people around her.

That being said, awareness isn't enough and it starts with checking in on the people you haven't spoken to in a while or you notice someone not their usual self; sometimes it's impossible to tell. It may not seem much, but it honestly can make the world of difference to someone who feels like they don't matter or can't face the intricacies that life throws our way.

To those people who do suffer in silence, please do reach out to someone. A friend, a stranger online, a healthcare professional. You aren't a burden, people do care and as cliché as it sounds and as hard as it is to see; things will get better.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this and for your support, it means a lot. Please feel free to share this link to whoever you like in order to help The Cellar Trust as much as possible.

A service has been arranged in her memory. If you would like to be there, you can contact me on email for further information - parker3960@gmail.com

My chosen charity - https://www.thecellartrust.org/about-us

List of numbers for mental health help - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem/mental-health-helplines/

The Cellar Trust supports people struggling with their mental health, across the Bradford district to move forward in their recovery and live independent, fulfilling lives.

We exist because mental health problems exist and because they are complex. We all have mental health and our state of health can change at any time. Mental health problems affect everyone in a different way and they can be devastating. Our purpose is to support people when they face these challenges, and to empower them to move forward.