Seminar to tackle student suicide

Amanda Miles' son Lori committed suicide in 2005

A conference is being held in Oxford later which will address the issue of student suicide.

The one-day seminar at the Oxford Centre has been organised by Papyrus, a charity dedicated to the prevention of suicides by young people.

Amanda Miles, from Witney, Oxfordshire, whose son Lori took his own life in 2005, said nothing could prepare parents for the shock of the news.

"It's your worst nightmare, nothing could compare to it," she said.

"It's the old cliche, but there's never a day goes by without thinking of Lori. It's like a hole.

"Until a child's died you cannot really get to grips with how it must feel for someone."

Mrs Miles said the support of others had helped her to come to terms with Lori's death.

"Someone I met through a support group once said she wouldn't be defined by her son's suicide.

"I thought that was important. I'm still me, I can still enjoy the things I used to."