A mother from Burscough is demanding tighter controls on gambling adverts and easy credit after her 25-year-old son took his own life in June. Shirley Owen believes gambling addiction was a factor in the death of Harry Owen, who worked for the family firm and was a devoted Liverpool FC supporter.
Life and soul of the party
Shirley, 55, described her son as a friendly, outgoing young man who loved football, golf and his family. "He was such a lovely lad, so friendly to everybody. He was like the life and soul of the party. He had loads and loads of friends," she told the ECHO.
Harry's gambling addiction began when he was about 19, after he broke his collarbone in a motocross accident and was off work. A year later he broke his tib and fib and was again off work. His family helped him after he told them about the gambling, but it happened again.
No signs before death
Shirley said Harry seemed "so happy" in the months before his death and gave no warning. "There were no signs. He never came to (his friends) to say he was feeling down," she said. She confirmed Harry was in debt due to gambling but "wasn't that much. It wasn't enough to lose your life. No debt is, but we could've sorted it."
The day before his death, Harry visited his parents. Shirley asked him to come back the next day. "I spoke to him on his way home from work and he said he'd be at mine in half an hour, and he never turned up," she recalled. "It's still very raw. We can't get our heads around it, to be honest."
Calls for change
Shirley is now calling for gambling adverts to be banned, especially those linked to football, and for tighter restrictions on loans, credit cards and gambling-style mechanics in video games. "There's so many gambling adverts. They need banning, especially with football," she said. "These companies just freely give young people credit, which I'm shocked at."
She added that Harry had an addictive personality. "I think maybe when he hit rock bottom, when he was in debt with the gambling, he must have thought, 'I'm too embarrassed to tell my mum and dad'," she said.
Lasting legacy
Harry's friends have since begun talking openly about their mental wellbeing, with some attending Andy's Man Club, a mental health charity. A charity football match at Burscough football ground raised over £13,000 for the charity, and the family is being helped by Gambling With Lives.
A tribute banner reading "RIP Harry Owen, forever in our hearts" has been displayed at Liverpool matches this season. Shirley said between 500 and 600 people attended Harry's funeral, with the whole village coming to a standstill as his friends walked behind the hearse.
