A much loved young farmer took his own life following a night out after struggling to come to terms with a family tragedy.
Samuel Edward Davies was one of many young farmers on a get-together in the popular seaside resort of Blackpool in April of this year. The 25-year-old spent part of the evening of Friday April 29 with his girlfriend and childhood sweetheart, Elin Lewis.
An inquest at Blackpool Town Hall today (September 14) heard that at one point in the night the couple began arguing, during which Sam made reference to taking his own life. They eventually left the Walkabout bar in Queen Street at the end of the evening and returned to Elin's room at the Chimes Hotel on the Promenade reports LancsLive.
The couple made up and went to bed but in the morning, Elin grew concerned when she realised that Sam's shoes were still in the room even though he wasn't in bed. She began a search of their room where she sadly found Sam, from Llangedwyn in Wales, unresponsive in the bathroom. Elin ran out into the corridor screaming for help but tragically, Sam was pronounced dead by paramedics at 7.58am on Saturday April 30.
The inquest heard that Sam, who was born in Oswestry in Shropshire, had struggled to come to terms with the death of his grandfather in 2020. Elin said that Sam's grandfather had shot himself on the family farm and although Sam hadn't been there at the time, he saw the body when he returned home.
"His grandfather's mental health had been deteriorating and [the family was] so concerned they took steps to obtain Power of Attorney," Elin said. "He took his own life by shooting himself and over time it became clear it was becoming too much [for Sam]."
The inquest heard that Sam's mum Ruth had taken him to the GP after he had become 'emotional and uncontrollable' at Christmas last year. However, Elin said the GP had said he was 'fine' and sent him home.
In a statement provided to the coroner Elin, a graduate of Cardiff University, said she and Sam had first got together after they met at secondary school when she was 13 and he was 15. "He was part of my family, we all loved him greatly and he was often at my house," she said.
"We had talked about marriage and having a family of our own. I know we would have had all of this if it wasn't for this tragic incident. I miss him every day."
Assistant Coroner Louise Rae described Sam's death as 'very sad and tragic'. Returning a conclusion of suicide she said: "Sam's girlfriend Elin expressed her love for Sam and genuinely believed he was happy and that they would find their way through these difficult times.
"It is clear to me just how loved Sam was. He had a strong network of friends and support from his partner and his family.
"This is a tragically sad case of a young man who had his whole life ahead of him. He was sadly struggling with the death of his grandfather."
After Sam's death his parents Ruth and Arwel paid tribute to 'a much-loved son' who was also a 'devoted brother' to Iestyn, Megan and Danny. Money raised in his memory was donated to mental health charity Mind among others.
John Houseman, who organised the young farmers' trip to Blackpool, told LancsLive: "The passing of Sam at this years AGM, was a complete shock and a huge tragedy. Sam will undoubtedly be dearly missed by everyone who knew him throughout his local farming community. The support and love shown towards Sam and his family throughout the wider farming community has been astounding.
"It is a constant reminder that there are always people that love and care for you and if you need to talk, someone will be there, especially in a community as strong as farming. On behalf of all of the young farming community our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Sam."
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