A HAMPSHIRE mum whose youngest son killed himself has vowed to help other families who are going through the same ordeal.

Jean Bromley is raising funds for the Red Lipstick Foundation, launched to provide support and advice to people who have lost a friend or relative to suicide.

The foundation has devised a project called Behind the Smile, which aims to help teenagers struggling with mental health issues.

Jean’s son, Jack Swallow, 16, died ten years ago after jumping into the River Itchen near Cobden Bridge in Southampton.

She has marked the tenth anniversary of his death by taking part in a wing walk at Compton Abbas, near Salisbury, and helping her daughter Carly organise a musical evening at the Dolphin pub in Southampton.

The two events have so far raised more than £1,000 – and money is still coming in.

Jean, of Barton-on-Sea, also went to Test Park in Millbrook to watch a charity football match involving Jack’s former classmates at Bitterne Park School.

“It was lovely to see that he’s still living on in their memories,” she said.

“Ten years is a long time but flowers are still left at Cobden Bridge on the anniversary of his death.

“Unfortunately there isn’t a lot of public funding to support people who need counselling after a friend or relative has taken their own life, even though suicides seem to be happening more often.

“Behind the Smile is going into schools to talk to children about mental health issues and what signs to look out for in friends.”

Talking about Jack’s death she added: “In the first year I reached rock bottom and didn’t think I could go on. Families are very vulnerable in the 12 months after something like that.

“Sadly we didn’t see it coming. Teenagers tend to talk more to their friends than their family about issues in their lives.”

Speaking to the Daily Echo shortly after Jack died in 2005 Jean said: “He had become a little withdrawn but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

“No-one realised how desperate he was.

“Jack was always a very heavy sleeper so to wake him up in the morning I would put on his MP3 player extremely loud.

“When I went in that particular morning I could see his bed hadn’t been slept in and then I found the note and the drawing of the bridge.

“I knew straight away what he had done and where he would be found.”