A heartbroken son is honouring his father’s memory by raising awareness for suicide prevention in a 13-hour sponsored walk to his graveside.
On October 12, Stewart Spence will embark on an emotional 29-mile trek from his home in Stirling to his dad’s grave in Rutherglen Cemetery.
The walk, marking the anniversary of his Charles Gordon Spence’s tragic suicide, is part of a fundraising effort for Andy’s Man Club, a charity dedicated to men’s suicide prevention.
Stewart, 29, said his life was forever changed when his Charles, 60, took his own life a month before his 18th birthday at their then-home in the village of Law, near Carluke.
Reflecting on the devastating day, Stewart said: “My dad committed suicide a month before my 18th birthday. I was at my work and I received a call from my mum telling me what had happened.
“When I arrived at the house, there were tons of police and paramedics that told me to go round to the back garden. That’s where I found my mum, sisters and aunties sitting with a police officer. My dad was lying dead in the hallway.
“It still affects me to this day.”
Now a father of two sons, Stewart Charles Gordon Spence, 8, and Noah Matthew Andrew Spence, 5, Stewart admits the pain of the suicide has deepened since becoming a parent himself.
He continued: “When my first son was born, that was when I started feeling the impact of his suicide even more because I felt all this love for my first child.
“I began thinking to myself, ‘Why did my dad do it? Did he not love me?’.
“I thought having my own family would have helped me a bit, which it does in a way, but the reality of what happened with him really hit me when I became a dad myself.”
The anniversary of Charles’ passing has always been a difficult time for the Stewart, who spoke on how the idea for the fundraiser came about.
He added: “Normally, on the day of my dad’s anniversary, I torture myself mentally. I’ve always found it really hard and I’ve always taken the day off work to go to his grave.
“I thought that starting the fundraiser would be something worthwhile and something he’d be proud of me for doing.”
The devastating loss of his father has hit Stewart hard, but he still looks back and remembers the happy memories with him.
“My dad loved horses. We had stables at the house and he’d look after them. I was always more into football, which he was probably a wee bit gutted about,” he joked.
“From as far back as I can remember, I used to get woken up at 3am by my dad to go to work with him at the scrapyard before I went to primary school. Once I finished school, I would go back out with him to his work. My full childhood was spent with my dad.”
By sharing his story and raising funds for Andy’s Man Club, Stewart hopes to help others facing the same struggles in their battle against suicide.
To donate to his fundraiser, visit his GoFundMe.
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