Two mums who lost four family members to suicide between them are turning their shared tragedy into a lifeline for others.
Sabrina Dunbavin and Tracey Roberts have experienced unimaginable loss. Sabrina lost her cousin, brother and sister, while Tracey's daughter took her own life just last year.
But the two mums, brought together through their shared personal experiences, have decided to channel their grief into creating a lifeline for anyone who might be struggling. Tracey started the Jade Roberts Project, named after her late 26-year-old daughter, to make a change and "help others".
READ MORE: Heartbroken family told girl, 6, 'won't be the same' in few months time
The trained psychotherapist will open the doors of the project, on Rocky Lane, Anfield on November 19. Along with a team of ten volunteers, Tracey will provide workshops on anxiety, depression, suicide prevention and coping techniques as well as a counselling service.
Tracey described 26-year-old Jade as a woman who "would do anything for anyone" and had "a heart of gold". Tracey found herself drifting deeper into depression following the death of her daughter. But as she told the ECHO: "I had two choices. I could either go further and give up, but I went with the other choice, to help.
"I don't want anyone to go through the pain that myself and my family have gone through. The pain will never go away, I'm just learning to live with it."
Now through the project Tracey has a way of helping end stigmas around suicide and spreading the message that "it's okay to not be okay". She said her family now feel like Jade is "still here" as they create a legacy in her memory, not only for her, but for her children.
But Tracey couldn't do it alone and to get the project up-and-running needed volunteers to come on board and help. This is where she met Sabrina - a mum who has gone through unimaginable loss after her boyfriend was murdered and three family members took their own lives.
Sabrina encourages people to not suffer in silence and to know they are not alone. She told the ECHO even now time has passed following their deaths and that she has the support of her family she still feels "lonely in her own grief". But she added: "It's good to reach out to people and let them know they're not alone and there are others there."
Sabrina reached out to Tracey after reading her story in the ECHO. Sabrina said: "I've always wanted to use my experiences to help people that are suffering. After reading about the project I called Tracey and said I wanted to help. It's something I'm very passionate about.
"And Tracey shares the same passion. She was overwhelmed by the phone call we had and when we met up, we knew we were going to work well together. Tracey's worked incredibly hard and she makes me keep going."
Sabrina will be one of 10 volunteers with the project once she has completed her ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). She told the ECHO: "This is something truly affecting our communities and I want to support these people. I've lived through what people are going through so maybe I could help prevent these things happening.
Tracey said she felt "the same level of passion" when she met Sabrina and they instantly shared "a bond". She said the project will open on November 19 once all the volunteers have completed their training.
Having 10 volunteers means the project can be open three days a week. But Tracey added she wants more people coming forward to volunteer so they can open every day of the week to support more people. She also said the project isn't a charity so doesn't get any funding, so any money generated needs to come through fundraisers and donations.
Sabrina has organised a walk for suicide prevention starting today, Saturday, October 22 between Crosby and Southport with all donations going towards the Jade Roberts Project. She said: "We don't want any families to go through the pain and suffering we've been through after losing someone to suicide. We want to help as many people as we can. We can't save the world but we can help."
Tracey said: "Suicide is a silent killer, you can't see what's going on in someone's head. You can see a black eye or a broken leg and breaking that stigma, to me, is about more people coming forward and talking about how they are really feeling. It's about making people feel listened to and giving them hope."
You can donate to Sabrina's most recent fundraiser for the Jade Roberts Project here.
Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you're feeling, or if you're worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.
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