THE LIFE of 18-year-old Ruben Ferrol will be fondly remembered at a memorial concert scheduled to be held on Saturday, August 21 2021 at Hedon Primary School playing field.
Ruben tragically took his own life in April. Mum, Katy Smith, is keen that Ruben’s friends and other young people can play a part in the organisation and enjoyment of the concert. It will celebrate Ruben’s life. But the concert will also serve a wider role in raising awareness of teenage suicide. Katy hopes that other young people can learn from what happened to Ruben. The message from the concert should be one of hope to people who are struggling or unwell; no matter how dark things can seem, there are always those that can help. And it is okay to ask for help.
People have rallied to offer Katy support in organising the concert. A commission-free fundraising page has been set up online. On the ‘Collection Pot’ page, Katy says: “Our aim is to give our community something positive to focus on and be inspired by, to help try to prevent people from becoming unwell. We also would like to try to prevent suicide by raising awareness of the problems which can affect mental health and showing how much help is available for those struggling.”
A Facebook Group at ‘Ruben’s Voice’ has been set up. It will help coordinate the organisation of the event. Hedon Primary School have offered the use of the school field for free and an events company have offered advice with technical aspects of the event.
As well as the concert, Ruben’s friends have independently raised money to buy a memorial picnic table and bench which will be installed at the Community Orchard on Hedon’s Elsie Gate field. Elsie Gate was one of the local places that Ruben liked to visit. Katy attended the Hedon Town Council last Thursday and told them of Ruben’s love for the place. She asked and received the council’s permission to install the picnic table and bench. The council also offered to pay for the necessary base for the memorial furniture. A new tree has already been planted in the orchard in Ruben’s memory.
Raising money, getting support and getting people to attend the Ruben’s Voice concert is now a priority said Katy: “Our main task now is to raise the money and attract plenty of people. It has become much bigger than I expected but I think it is what our community needs. The search is now on for local bands and performers who might like to play.”
If you can help, then the commission-free community fundraising page ‘Collection Pot’ is at: https://www.collectionpot.com/pot/204135/.
Note: Please check you are not using Internet Explorer as the browser to make your donation. Collection Pot is not supported for Internet Explorer and certain functionality on the site will not work correctly.
The Ruben’s Voice Facebook Group is at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/758552104792067.
