The conversation is a raw and necessary exploration of grief, the “living experience” of loss and how academic research is currently being used to reshape the UK’s national curriculum.
Released to mark Helplines Awareness Day, Monday 23 February, this episode is part of ‘What’s in your Head’, the first series from Edge Hill’s new podcast Edge Ahead, hosted by regional podcaster Gareth Roberts alongside Liverpool FC legend and Edge Hill Honorary Doctor Chris Kirkland.
Mike Palmer, who lost his daughter Beth to suicide in 2020, shared the philosophy that drives his national campaigning. Alongside fellow bereaved fathers Tim Owen and Andy Airey, Mike has walked hundreds of miles to raise millions for Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide and to lobby the government for curriculum change.
“I live in a world of grief, but I’ve learned to manage it through forgiveness, forgiving myself for having bad days. What we do with ‘Three Dads’ is about making a difference. It’s not ‘lived experience,’ it’s living experience.
“We want happy, resilient young people who can thrive, and that starts with building a solid base of mental health.” Mike said on the podcast.
Nina Smith, a former primary school teacher, was just days away from starting her Masters in Mental Health at Edge Hill when her brother Will died by suicide. Rather than turning away, Nina threw herself into her studies and she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research school-based suicide prevention strategies.
Her research took her to Australia and the US where she found that suicide prevention training has been mandatory for teachers for many years. The UK Government is now planning to add suicide prevention to secondary school curriculum, thanks in large part to the Three Dads Walking campaign and the voices of people like Nina.
Nina said: “Suicide prevention is hope promotion. There are no ‘wrong people’ to talk to; there are just people who haven’t had any training yet.
“Everybody has the potential to save a life; they just need the tools.”
Edge Hill is already putting Nina’s findings into practice. The University has integrated mandatory suicide prevention training into its Ofsted ‘outstanding’ initial teacher training programmes.
And a new specialist PGCE, Primary Mental Health and Wellbeing Specialist with QTS, has been developed to ensure the next generation of educators can lead a whole-school approach to wellbeing.
On this Helplines Awareness Day, both guests emphasised the vital role of professional support services. Mike highlighted the Papyrus HOPELINE247, a 24-hour service for under 35s and those concerned about them, while Nina urged everyone to take the free, 30-minute training provided by the Zero Suicide Alliance.
Mike said: “In those 15 minutes of crisis, a helpline can be the difference between a life lost and a life kept. It is a knife-edge and having someone to call is the safety net our young people deserve.”
This episode is the last in the current series of Edge Ahead which has featured guests such as former professional boxer Tony Bellew, Jake Mills from Chasing the Stigma and former ‘selfie addict’ Danny Bowman.
All episodes are available to stream on Spotify and YouTube. Whether you’re on campus or tuning in from afar, Edge Hill invites everyone to join the conversation.
Edge Hill University offers a dedicated student support service, providing mental health and wellbeing advice, as well as other help and support.
February 23, 2026
