A 24-YEAR-OLD man who grew up in Great Sankey and once attempted to take his own life is turning his deeply personal experience into a campaign to restore specialist suicide prevention support for children and young people following the closure of PAPYRUS.
Dylan McCloskey, who grew up in Great Sankey, had been fundraising for PAPYRUS ahead of taking part in the 2027 Manchester Marathon, raising more than £200 for the charity before it entered administration.
But the campaign has now taken on a much greater significance.
Dylan has spoken publicly for the first time about his own mental health struggles after deciding that the best way he could help others was to break the silence surrounding his own experience.
And following the closure of PAPYRUS and its HOPELINE247 service, he has launched a petition calling for specialist suicide prevention support for young people to be restored. More than 400 people have already signed.
For Dylan, this is no longer simply about a charity fundraising target. It is about making sure that another young person does not find themselves in the same desperate position he once faced.
“There was once a time when I was the young person who didn’t know where to turn,” said Dylan. “I’m incredibly fortunate that I’m still here, and now I feel I have a responsibility to use my voice for somebody who may not feel able to use theirs.”
‘Somebody has to be there when they ask for help’
Dylan says he had kept his experience private for years. That changed when he began fundraising for PAPYRUS.
Opening up about what he had been through encouraged other people to trust him with their own stories – something which made him realise the issue was far bigger than his marathon challenge.
He believes the loss of specialist support cannot simply be accepted.
“We constantly tell young people that speaking up and asking for help is brave,” he said.
“If we mean that, then somebody has to be there when they do.” That is the driving force behind his petition.
Dylan says he does not necessarily care what organisation provides the service, what it is called or whose logo appears above the door. What matters is that the specialist support exists.
“Somewhere, by someone, that support needs to exist,” he says.
The campaign has particular resonance in Warrington, where PAPYRUS was based and where its work supporting young people at risk of suicide became closely associated with the town.
The closure of the charity has left a significant gap for young people, families and professionals who relied upon specialist suicide prevention support.
For Dylan, the loss is personal. He had chosen PAPYRUS as his marathon charity because of what its work meant to him and to countless other young people.
Now he is asking people to support a campaign aimed at ensuring that specialist provision does not disappear with the charity itself.
Dylan admits that speaking publicly about his own experience has not been easy. But he believes that remaining silent would mean missing an opportunity to help somebody else.
His message is particularly powerful because he knows what it feels like to be the young person who cannot see a way forward.
He survived – and now he wants to use his voice to help make sure others get the opportunity to do the same.
“I don’t believe we should simply accept the loss of the specialist support it provided,” he said.
His petition is now gathering momentum, with more than 400 signatures already recorded.
And Dylan hopes the campaign will send a clear message to decision-makers: young people still need someone to answer when they reach out for help.
If you need urgent help
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger or at risk of suicide, call 999 or go to the nearest A&E department. In the UK, you can also contact Samaritans on 116 123, free, 24 hours a day.
Dylan’s petition: “Young people still need someone to answer – restore specialist suicide prevention support.”
