Teacher sets up support group after loss of "inspirational" dad

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A teacher who faced heartache after the loss of her beloved dad has been spurred on to launch a support group to help others.Ciara Duddy was left heartbroken after the sudden death of her father, Christopher, just eight months ago.She says the isolation of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced people away from family and friends, was the final straw for her lorry driver dad who fought a long-term battle with mental health issues.And she has found strength in numbers after founding the 'Walk Lighter' group for those affected by suicide in Renfrewshire.Teacher Ciara is still coming to terms with the loss of the 53-year-old - who suffered from bi-polar disorder - but the hardest part she says, was the reaction of people who found out her father committed suicide.She told the Express of her fight to come to terms with her father's death, saying: "I'm originally from Ireland but live and work in Paisley, I went back home for the funeral and then came back to Paisley and I think that's when it really hit me, I had no family around me, I have a really good network of friends and my partner but I still didn't have family around."Anytime the word suicide was mentioned, I could see people turn the other way and look uncomfortable, they don't know how to handle it and I found really, really tough."The experience led Ciara, originally from County Armagh in Northern Ireland, to seek support, but that was also challenging, she says: "I couldn't find the kind of support I felt I needed.

I felt I needed a community approach."There were things available but they were mostly time-limited, like for six week periods, via Zoom or quite formal."The 28-year-old said the personal experience of being touched by suicide, led her to look for