Clutching her brother’s ashes in a heart-shaped urn, Charlene Marsden looked out over the rolling green hills and valleys below Snowdon.
It took her around seven hours to climb up and down Welsh mountain in total. But the 34-year-old says the gruelling challenge was worth it in memory of her brother, David Marsden.
David, a much-loved and popular lab worker at Stepping Hill hospital , was found dead at his family home in Stockport on November 21, 2019. He was just 22-years-old.
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His family say his mental health began to spiral when he started struggling with insomnia while on holiday in the summer of 2019. David, from Adswood, felt so anxious about his normal life ‘slipping away from him’ that he became severely unwell with episodes of depression, anxiety and insomnia.
He spent some time on a psychiatric ward at the hospital where he worked and had been allowed home on leave at the time of his death. It was later discovered he died as a result of toxicity produced by ingesting a chemical, which the Manchester Evening News has chosen not to name.
Last year, after posting on social media and receiving a flurry of messages from other people who had had similar experiences, Charlene and her mum Fiona Marsden decided to set up a local support group for those bereaved by suicide. The group, called Beautiful Minds, now holds monthly meetings for its members.
The group along with 120 student and staff members from Stockport Academy took part in the Mount Snowdon climb on September 17. So far, they have raised an incredible £9,000 for local mental health charities.
“It was tough,” Charlene told the Manchester Evening News . “I go to the gym twice a week and found it tough – everyone is very achy today.
“It was such an achievement. We have a few members who have health issues and are older so we were going at their pace so no one got left behind but we did make it to the summit.
“I’m so proud of my mum because she has heart conditions and severe arthritis in her hips and knees and she battled on. She was on agony by the time we were in descent and completed it. I was in awe.
“My brother attended Stockport Academy so it wasn’t just for them in his memory, but to raise awareness for mental health. I had him with me in the urn. I carried my brother with me every step of the way.
“I was taking pictures with it at various points because he loved nature. It was very emotional for me.”
Charlene was so overwhelmed with grief following David’s death that she began suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as her own terrifying bouts of insomnia.
“Life is still very tough,” she continued. “But I’m still trying to get the message out. Losing my brother, I’ve had very dark days and it’s a struggle.
“But I feel like I owe it not only to my brother, but to other people who are struggling, to prove that you can get through it if you keep pushing.
“Just keep pushing and eventually the days will get brighter. It can’t rain forever. Eventually, the sun will shine through.
“I feel like I’m giving something back and in my eyes it’s just me proving that you can overcome mental health struggles no matter how tough it is. It can take months and weeks but you will get there.”
For more information on the fundraiser or to donate, click here.
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