The family of a man who tragically took his own life are on a mission to raise awareness of the help available for people with mental health problems.
Twm Bryn, from Chwilog, died just days after his 21st birthday in October 2021. His parents Bryn and Bethan Jones, are heartbroken, but want to pay tribute to the work of the DPJ Foundation, which is dedicated to helping people in rural communities deal with mental health issues.
Twm’s death has also inspired food distribution company, Harlech Foodservice, to support the charity. They have donated £1,000 to the DPJ Foundation with £1 from the sale of every tub of their Welsh Maid ice cream going to the organisation set up to help those in the agricultural sector suffering from poor mental health.
Harlech Foodservice director Andrew Foskett is a family friend. His son Toby and Twm were close friends.
Bethan said: “The problem living where we are there’s little availability of help for people with mental health problems and we weren’t aware of the DPJ Foundation until afterwards. I’m just so glad that its profile is being raised now because there’s no health services available. It could have helped Twm and it will definitely help others. We need to raise the profile because it’s OK not to feel OK. It’s nothing to be ashamed about.
“It’s really good that a local business like Harlech is supporting the work of the DPJ Foundation in memory of Twm because it’s a brilliant organisation and Twm and Toby were really good friends.”
Twm was a keen cyclist who competed regularly, but after an unprovoked attack outside a nightclub in Pwllheli he suffered from depression and was on a waiting list but died before he was able to access support.
Andrew said: “This is very personal to us because Twm and my son Toby were best friends from their days in primary school and Twm and his family are members of the local farming community.
“Just because we live in a beautiful part of the country doesn’t make people in rural Wales less likely to suffer from mental health issues. In fact working long and lonely hours, often in difficult conditions, can make it all too easy to be affected by depression and anxiety.
“The loss of Twm Bryn has made the work of the DPJ Foundation something very close to our hearts at Harlech and made us want to support the charity. They are the Samaritans of the farming world and offer such a support network throughout rural Wales, and that has been particularly important through the pandemic lockdown when issues of loneliness and isolation were exacerbated.
“These are the people who grow our food and if we can’t support them who else is going to? Food from Wales is renowned for its quality but there can be a price to be paid and the DPJ Foundation are there to support people in the rural community and they have helped so many.”
The DPJ Foundation was set up in 2016 by the family of young Pembrokeshire agricultural contractor Daniel Picton-Jones, a father of two, who took his own life after struggling with depression. Since then it has helped hundreds of people and raised awareness of mental health issues in the agricultural sector.