A FUND has been set up to support young people to deal with mental health issues following the tragic death of a university student.

The Beacon reported on 17th April that a former Monmouth School student, James Jorge De Sousa Stayton (pictured right), known as JJ, died after falling from the Whispering Gallery at St Paul’s Cathedral on 1st April.

The family have said on a GoFundMe web page that they have set up in his memory that JJ “took his own life at the age of 19” after “struggling with his mental health, the extent of which he had kept hidden from his family and friends”.

They paid tribute to the popular student saying: “He was an intelligent, funny and passionate young man, with strong interests in history and drama”.

As a first step in their mission to “create change around the stigma of mental health, improve how it is managed and understood”, they are calling for a “change in protocols - specifically in universities - to prevent young adults slipping under the radar.”

They were unaware until after his death that he had skipped university for at least two months, effectively isolating himself from everyone.

“Currently, there is no convention, that we are aware of, where someone is alerted to a significant change in circumstance - when students stop attending class, for example” said the family.

“Despite communications with the university, they were unable to inform us of these changes in his attendance. Had we known, (or another trusted individual, chosen by the student) it is possible something could have been done to help him” they added.

They are aiming to raise £5,000 to support mental health charities: - RTHM Rowing Together for Healthy Minds (a partner with Mind). You can donate by searching for Remembering JJ on the GoFundMe website

A member of staff at Monmouth Pre-Prep, Angela Whitehead will be running the Newport Marathon for “two amazing boys who both had an illness which they had no chance of beating”.

Her aim is to donate equally between the two worthy charities, Cancer Research Wales and RTHM in memory of JJ and Tom Walker, the 13-year-old pupil who died of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

If you would like to donate, you can donate at any Haberdashers’ school reception office with your donation in a sealed envelope stating ‘Tom and James

fundraising’.