Katy also told how she bonded with Coldplay frontman’s mum at their recent sellout concerts in Hull
A mum who launched a charity devoted to suicide prevention after the loss of her son has told of her pride after winning a prestigious award for her fundraising work. Katy Smith, of Hedon, was left devastated in 2021 when her son Ruben Ferrol took his own life at the age of 18.
Ruben seemed to be happy in life, with a job he enjoyed, a new house and a circle of friends and family who loved his company, and he was also a talented musician, dancer and singer. His family has never known why Ruben decided to leave them, but mum Katy launched charity Ruben’s Voice, determined to break the stigma of mental health and help to prevent suicide by offering help to those who may be struggling.
Since then, the family has carried out countless fundraising events to bring the community together, including hosting an annual free concert in Hedon, to give the community an inspiring day showcasing musicians, dancers and all manner of other local performers. Now Katy’s tireless fundraising has led to her scooping a coveted trophy at the BBC Humberside Make a Difference Awards.
The awards, held at Scunthorpe’s Baths Hall on Wednesday, brought together nominees from across East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, to celebrate the positive role they all play in the community. After accepting the fundraiser award from BBC Radio Humberside presenters Kofi Smiles and Carla Green, she told of her pride.
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She said: “As we got there my son said ‘oh that guy over there ran 30 marathons mum, you don’t stand a chance!’ And there was a couple who have saved 15 lives, and there was also a man raising money for guide dogs.
“To win absolutely knocked my socks off, I was blown away. I just thought I was making up the numbers. I was absolutely delighted, more so because more people now know that we care, and that’s the important thing for me. Different people know that people care.
“The awards ceremony was lovely. It was such a positive atmosphere – it was electric with people doing nice things and appreciating how many other people were doing nice things.
“I needed a bit of a break after the big Ruben’s Voice concert, so this has given me the push that I needed. It shows that people do notice. Sometimes I get exhausted and think ‘is it making a difference or not?’ So this has given me the push that I need, and that maybe someone who needs to know that we care has heard us.
“It was such a positive experience, and I was delighted that I could take along my partner, my son and my sister too. It was alive with people celebrating and there was no negativity. A really uplifting experience.”
The award win comes a month after the family got to meet Coldplay frontman Chris Martin during the global band’s two-day takeover of Hull, for their Music Of The Spheres tour. The Ruben’s Voice concert day took place just before the gigs, and Katy had put out a plea to the band to come to their event and sing Fix You, the heartbreaking song that was played at Ruben’s funeral.
At the time, the band were too far away to make it to the Hedon event – so instead they invited the whole family to one of the Craven Park Concerts. Katy got to meet Chris Martin backstage before the night kicked off, and also bonded with Chris’s mum Alison.
Katy said: “They treated us like royalty, it was amazing! We’ll remember it forever. I was invited to the band huddle but they were running late so it didn’t happen, but I got to meet Chris briefly backstage just as they were going on. And his mum was just the most adorable lady. She also has five children. I told her how she must be so proud of Chris but she said ‘yes but it’s hard to make sure that all of my children know how proud I am.’ She was such a lovely lady.”
After the BBC Humberside Make a Difference Awards, Maggie Curtis, executive editor at BBC Radio Humberside, said: “At BBC Radio Humberside we love to celebrate our fantastic community every day across our output. But the Make a Difference Awards gives us chance to recognise those who have gone truly above and beyond”.