The friends of a 19-year-old Leeds student have shared their heartbreak after finding him dead in their flat.
On Saturday, March 4, a group of friends he'd met at the University of Leeds were heading to Doncaster Races for the day when they noticed one of their housemates, Ben Hope, had not woken up yet.
Sadly, when Ben's friends went to wake him, they discovered he had taken his own life. Friends of Ben say he was suffering an ongoing battle with anxiety, and died just weeks before his 20th birthday on April 13.
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"He was not only an incredible housemate but was a beloved son, brother and inspiration to those around him," one friend added. The housemates are now on a mission to raise awareness of mental health and honour Ben's name.
Ben has been described as "charismatic, ambitious, confident" and was said to "truly loved life". Two days before Ben's death he was hanging out with his friends and said to be his "usual, positive character". One housemate told Leeds Live he was "life and soul" of their friendship group.
"We had a great time laughing and drinking together. We were all planning on going to Doncaster Races the next day," his friends added. Housemate Harry said: "For those of you who knew Ben, you were the lucky ones. The Ben we knew was confident, social and truly loved life.
"Whether it was with his sarcasm, intellectual wit or his ability to make light of dire situations, he never failed to make people laugh and genuinely smile, and for that, we will always be eternally grateful."
The student added: "He was thoughtful and annoyingly wise beyond his years; he loved a debate and, in his eyes, would always be right. On the outside, he had everything going for him and was cherished by everyone that knew or had even met him."
Ben's friends have set up an Instagram page called '3peak2speak', in a bid to raise awareness of mental health and share Ben's story. On May 6, five of Ben's housemates will be taking on the Yorkshire Three Peak challenge.
The group will walk 24 miles and climb 1600 metres high in honour of their late friend. Harry said: "Checking up on family and friends is more important than ever to combat the suicide epidemic; every four days a student in the UK takes their own life. With your help, we hope to make a difference together; by sharing Ben's story, we can fight the battle against mental illnesses and normalise conversations regarding mental health.
"If you are going through something similar, please open up and seek professional help, it is okay to suffer, but it is a problem to suffer in silence." A Go Fund Me page has been set up on behalf of Campaign Against Living Miserably. They had an initial target of £10,000 and have raised over £16,936.
Ben's friends added: "Ben, we all miss you so very much and will take you with us in everything we do throughout our lives. We wish you could see the lasting impact you have had on us and on more people than you could ever imagine."
To donate to the Go Fund Me page in honour of Ben, click here.
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