The parents of a Bristol University student who died suddenly amid a spate of suicides at the institution have raised almost £10,000 to fund their fight for answers.
Natasha Abrahart, 20, died in April, becoming one of 11 students to die at Bristol since 2016.
Her parents, Robert and Margaret, launched a crowd-funding effort to pay for expert legal advice ahead of a full inquest into Natasha’s death next year.
Their fund was just three hundred pounds off a target of £10,000. Individual donations have ranged from £5 to £800 in the two weeks since the fund launched.
On the crowd-funding page, the parents describe their journey to uncover the truth as to what happened in the months leading up to Natasha’s death as “painful, distressing and emotionally draining”.
They said the inquest will be “our one shot at finding out as much as we can about the circumstances in which our daughter died, and whether there were any failings that contributed to her death”, thus requiring expert legal advice.
“We are determined to ensure a full and fearless inquest into Natasha’s death,” they added. “We need to fully understand the events that led up to her death and, hopefully, to ensure that students around the country are made safer.”
The Abraharts will now use the £10,000 raised to fund legal counsel and preparation for a second pre-inquest review hearing in November, following an initial session in the summer.
The hearing is expected to decide the scope of the full inquest, due to take place in May, and whether evidence will be heard by a jury.
The actions of Bristol University and local NHS mental health services are expected to be scrutinised.
An earlier hearing was told how Natasha had “no contact” with the university’s welfare team despite telling a staff member she was suicidal.
Student mental health has been taken on by Universities Minister Sam Gyimah, who has said tackling the issue is “non-negotiable” for vice-chancellors.
HuffPost UK reported recently how two of the UK’s top universities still lack a single student mental health policy, and how confusion reigns at many institutions over whom is told what when a student’s health declines.
You can donate to the Abrahart’s crowd fund here.
Useful websites and helplines:
- Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393
- Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill.)
- The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email: help@themix.org.uk
- Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0300 5000 927 (open Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on www.rethink.org.
