Behind the Smile held a walk around the River Severn

Behind the Smile was founded by Gaynor and Andy Pritchard who lost their son, Zac by suicide in 2018.

On Thursday, (June 2)  the charity invited members of the public who have been bereaved by suicide to a riverside walk. 

Riverside walk: Gaynor Pritchard

Several people came with a story to share and walked around the river Severn while they spoke about their shared experiences. 

Mrs Pritchard said: "Suicide is different to other deaths because you don't often get closure and lots of checks take place and you have to go through an inquest. 

Riverside walk. The River Severn

"It is important to do something because people should get the support they need.

"Family and friends often didn't go through it, unless you have someone you can talk to you're on your own with your thoughts and feelings and that can contribute to mental health. 

River Severn

Mrs Pritchard spoke about the importance of postvention, which aims to help people who have been bereaved by suicide. 

Mrs Pritchard says they wanted to set up the charity in Worcester because of the lack of support. She said: "Mental health services let my son down." 

Kirsty Chandler attended the walk and said that suicide can be hard to talk about even if it's a shared experience.  

READ MORE: Mental Health: Where to get support

Kirsty Chandler

Mrs Chandler lost her sister to suicide and has a rainbow tattoo in her memory.

Mrs Pritchard said: "My other son won't talk about it, he'll go out of the room."

River Severn: Looking over the rainbow

Another walker said: "This affects healthy and unhealthy people. But most people put on a facade, and then they reach a point of no return, and they can no longer do it.

River Severn mental health work

"The phrase 'I'm going to kill myself' isn't funny for people with depression.

"In a perfect world, you can go to a psychiatric hospital and get better, but that's not reality."