IN response to the letter of 13 February regarding the apparent increasing number of suicides in the Andover area, we wanted to respond as a community organisation that provides care and support to families who need the support of others when they lose someone tragically.

We offer specific care and support for families who have lost someone through suicide and we are able to offer this service free of charge thanks to the support of Test Valley Council.

We share the concern about the number of suicides amongst younger people and are taking steps to arrange for volunteers to work with us and go into schools, colleges and youth clubs, to encourage people to chat informally with others and to be guided towards solutions to problems rather than the ending of a life.

We have in recent weeks been supporting several families locally who have lost someone through suicide in the Andover area and are currently looking for volunteers to help us with this work.

Later this year we hope to be launching a suicide prevention project locally once we have found more volunteers, trained them and found funding to support this work.

Tracy Whitbread, Paul Burrows-Gibson, Sebastian’s Bereavement Support