The heartbreaking news of a young scaffolder who committed suicide has been released.
An inquest at Bradford coroner court heard how Louie Sam Bates (19) from Halifax was found by his mother suspended from a ligature in their family home.
Bates had been suffering from depression for two years but tragically had not pursued any help for his condition, the courts heard.
The coroner court also heard how Bates lived with his Mother Lisa Mullally and his younger sister, he was last seen by his grandmother asleep in bed between 6:30pm and 7pm on Saturday 5th January, a message was then received by Louie’s partner sent from his sisters phone at 5:30 am the following day.
Coroners official Bernard Tate stated that, after being found by his mother, Bates was placed on the living room floor and his death was confirmed by paramedics at 10:02am.
Oliver Crouch, a friend of Mr Bates has set up a gofundme page in memory of Louie with the aim of raising £1000. The generosity of Louie’s friends and family have far surpassed the expectation and have so far raised a fantastic £8580 in ten days.
To date, 481 friends and family members have donated showing fantastic support for this ‘Top lad’ and his family. The amounts donated range from £5 to a generous £1000 from KLN Scaffolding.
To donate to Louie Bates fund please visit the gofundme page
Mental Health effects everybody at some point in their lives with an estimated one in four people affected every year. With the unnecessary stigma attached to mental health issues, some people can find it very difficult to muster up the courage to access help.
A new campaign was set up in 2018 by the NASC called Head For Heights in a bid to assist sufferers of mental health in the construction industry to have more confidence to discuss their issues and help them to identify who they can talk too.
In the construction industry, it is believed the macho and male-dominated nature of the workplace can inhibit mental health sufferers to discuss their condition and this alone can exacerbate their troubles and become more harmful to the individual than the condition itself.
Sadly, in a study published by Lexology, construction site workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than the average UK male.
Where to get help.
It is important to remember you are not alone, there is help available to you if you are feeling symptoms of mental illness such as anxiety depression or low mood.
Don’t suffer in silence, some organisations you can access if you need help or just wish to speak to someone anonymously and in confidence are:
- Lighthouse Club: lighthouse club Construction Industry Helpline 0345 605 1956
- Samaritans: phone 116 123, 24 hours a day or you can email [email protected]
- Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): For young men who are feeling unhappy, phone 0800 58 58 58
- Time to change: www.time-to-change.org.uk
- Bullying UK: Bullying UK A website for both adults and children who are affected by bullying.