Friends of "charismatic” Leeds student who took his own life raise thousands for charity as they pay loving tribute

Ben Hope, 19, was found dead in his bedroom by his housemates on March 4. He and his five housemates, who met each other while studying at the University of Leeds, were planning on spending the day at Doncaster Races together when the tragic discovery was made.

Now his five housemates, who Ben lived with in Hyde Park, are getting ready to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge next month to raise money for the mental health charity Calm. They said that through the challenge they hope to raise awareness of Ben’s story and encourage people to be more open about discussing their mental wellbeing, saying: "We want to emphasise that mental health doesn't have a typical look."

The fundraiser has far surpassed the initial goal of £5,000 and currently stands at £17,316.

Ben was originally from Surrey and was in his second year of studying History and Economics at the University of Leeds. His housemate Joe Pullman said: "He was incredibly sociable and the guy who was always wanting to do stuff."

Will Barwell said: "You could always have a really good conversation with Ben. You could have a debate with him about everything."

Will said there was "complete shock" in the aftermath of Ben’s death and added: “It really shows how suicide can happen to anyone as none of us expected it at all.”

Joe added: “Ben was the most sociable, genuinely confident and happy guy.

"We don’t think the Ben that made that decision was the Ben we knew. It was the one affected by mental health.”

Ben’s funeral was held in Surrey and over 200 people attended. Joe said: “It was a really difficult day but it was a lovely celebration of his life. It was great to hear all of the fond memories and stories everyone had of Ben.”

Will explained that the housemates decided to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge – which will see them walk up Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in less than 12 hours – shortly after his passing.

He said: “We wanted to do something for Ben. We thought ‘we are not going to sit at home and do nothing’. We want to spread his story and his name and do it for a good cause.”

The five friends will complete the first two peaks and have invited other friends of Ben for the final walk up Ingleborough.

Will said: “The amount of support we have received has been mind blowing. It shows how important this is and how many people actively care.”

Asked what message they would like people to take away from theirs and Ben’s story, Joe said: “We hope people read our story and that it leads to people talking. It’s about making mental health a normal part of conversations.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the Three Peaks challenge as well as an Instagram page. A song called ‘ION Believe (HOPESWORLD) has also been released in Ben’s memory by his friend Ant D that is available to listen to on Spotify and Apple Music.