Yorkshire teenage girl who took her own life 'showed no signs of deep, dark depression'

The mother of an 18-year-old Wakefield woman with "everything to live for" who took her own life is raising awareness of a charity seeking to prevent suicide among young people.
Neve StockdaleNeve Stockdale
Neve Stockdale

An inquest at Wakefield heard Neve Stockdale had just taken her A levels at Crofton High School and was awaiting the results when she died.

Neve, who enjoyed working with horses at her family's riding stables in Walton, Wakefield, had applied to do a degree in equine science at Askham Bryan College in York.

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Neve's mother Wendy Stockdale found her daughter hanged at the family's home in Ryhill near Wakefieldon August 4 last year.

Neve StockdaleNeve Stockdale
Neve Stockdale

After Neve's death, her parents found out she had passed all her A levels and had been accepted on the degree course at Askham Bryan, the inquest was told.

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances.

Area coroner Jonathan Leach recorded a verdict of suicide.

Mrs Stockdale is raising awareness of suicide prevention charity Papyrus and launched a Just Giving appeal to raise awareness and help the charity following her daughter's death.

Mrs Stockdale wrote on the page: "She was the most amazing young woman with everything to live for, she was kind, caring and conscientious, beautiful inside and out with a wicked sense of humour which I miss so very much.

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"She had shown no particular signs of the deep, dark depression you would expect from such a devastating end.

"Just the day before her death she was at the stables with everyone, making plans and enjoying herself.

"The day of her death she had gone to get ready as we were going shopping, seemingly fine, one hour later I found her.

"Neve was my best friend, my sparring partner, the person I turned to for advice about clothes and music and one of the most important people in my life whom I loved unconditionally, she made me a mum, she knew what my heart sounded like from the inside.

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"Losing a loved one to suicide is so incredibly painful and heartbreaking.

"You not only grieve their loss, you grieve the loss of their future too.

"Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem that leaves families devastated and broken.

"Papyrus do such important work with their HopelineUK and with their work in schools, we need to stop the stigma and start talking about our mental health.

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"I know it won’t fetch my beautiful, precious girl back but by fundraising I hope to spread awareness and stop this happening to another family."

For more information, go to www.papyrus-uk.org

Wendy Stockdale's Just Giving page is at www.justgiving.com/remember/598035/Neve-Stockdale