Fundraiser in memory of ‘awesome’ 17-year-old to raise awareness of men’s mental health

Bradley Robertson sadly lost his mental health battle in January this year, and his mother Amanda hopes to keep his legacy alive while making a difference.

“He was awesome, sensitive and always the first one to help his nan,” Amanda told the Chronicle & Echo. “He was a really great kid and would help anybody.”

Amanda, from Brixworth, is using this fundraiser as a positive distraction and many of her friends have helped her organise and get the word out there.

Though Amanda was hesitant to do something so soon after Bradley’s passing, she knows how important it is to raise awareness of men’s mental health and keep her son’s memory alive.

Talking about the impact that losing Bradley has had on her and all of their loved ones, Amanda said: “It’s beyond devastating. It was such a shock and that made it even worse.

“He’d got a lot of friends in the village, from school and at college. It had a huge, far reaching impact.”

Amanda’s focus after Bradley’s passing was on the funeral and making sure her son got the send off he deserved. After that time, her sister-in-law insisted that she came to work for her and Amanda appreciated the opportunity so she was not at home all the time.

This fundraiser is acting as a similar distraction, with a positive outcome for two charities dedicated to raising awareness of men’s mental health – The Man Cave and Kelly’s Heroes.

“Everyone says boys don’t talk,” said Amanda. “They really need to, you just need that right person there to listen and do something.

“When we found out Bradley was struggling, I was honest with him and said I didn’t understand mental health but I would find someone who did.”

After that conversation with his mother, Bradley later told her that he had done lots of research and she could ask any questions she needed to. Amanda was proud of how Bradley handled his struggles, from when the school first notified them at the beginning of 2023.

Amanda says it would be “fantastic” if as many people as possible were to get behind the fundraiser, to tackle the stigma around mental health and bring it out of the shadows.

With the struggles that young people face in today’s society, Amanda says there is a great need for more awareness – and parents should be sitting down and talking to their children about mental health.

The fundraiser is taking place on September 14 and will begin with a walk around Pitsford Reservoir from 12 noon.

This will be followed by a gathering at The George Inn from 4pm, with food served from 5pm, a raffle at 5.30pm and live music from 7pm.

Amanda wanted to stress that anyone taking part in the walk can do as much or as little as they want. Her 78-year-old mother was the first to sign up and she is going to complete as much as she can.

For more information and to sign up to ‘Bradley’s Peaky Walk & Fundraiser’, visit the Facebook page here.