Over the past decade, 6,929 15 to 24-year-olds have lost their lives to suicide. Evelyn (ITV and YouTube, 28 January) might tell the story of just one of those, 15-year-old Evelyn Gibson, but it speaks for all of them.
Narrated by Evelyn’s mother Jenni, the two-minute film, which was funded by Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation as part of its partnership with the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), soberly highlights the tragic impact youth suicide has on families across the UK.
It starts with a grainy home video of a “very tired” but proud Jenni showing off her newborn “gorgeous little daughter”. A montage of family films offers snapshots of Evelyn growing up. Beautifully normal moments include her first birthday; the excited screams of “yes, he’s been!” as she unwraps a bike on Christmas morning; a teenage Evelyn at a concert, then holding a new puppy. “Evelyn never made it to her 16th birthday,” viewers are told as the film fades to black.
Iceland CEO Tarsem Dhaliwal has pledged to donate £300,000 more to CALM throughout 2025, fundraised by Iceland and The Food Warehouse colleagues.
The charity will put those funds towards manning its helplines, “stopping the stigma silencing people’s struggles”, and promoting the charity’s C.A.R.E kit, which provides advice on how to support someone experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Evelyn is raw, moving and a smack-in-the-face reminder of the importance of having those difficult, but life-saving, conversations. Speak up. It might just save a life.
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