THE sister of a teenager who fell to his death from the Whispering Gallery in St Paul’s Cathedral has set up a £5,000 appeal to help young people deal with mental health issues.

Sapphire de Sousa Stayton from Ross-on-Wye has launched the online appeal in tribute to her brother James, known as JJ, after it was revealed that the 19-year-old former Monmouth School pupil had skipped his history studies at Queen Mary University, London, for weeks prior to his death, but no one had raised the alarm with his family.

They are now calling for a “change in protocols – specifically in universities – to prevent young adults slipping under the radar.”

Sapphire says on the ‘Remembering JJ’ GoFundMe page she has set up: “Currently, there is no convention, that we are aware of, where someone is alerted to a significant change in circumstance – when students stop attending class, for example.

“We learned, following his death, that JJ had not been going to university for at least two months, isolating himself from everyone.

“Despite communications with the university, they were unable to inform us of these changes in his attendance.

“Had we known, (or another trusted individual, chosen by the student), it is possible something could have been done to help him.”

She adds: “On the 1st of April, 2019, JJ took his own life at the age of 19. He had been struggling with his mental health, the extent of which he had kept hidden from his family and friends.

“He was an intelligent, funny and passionate young man, with strong interests in history and drama. Loved by many, he left behind his parents, a younger brother and an elder sister along with many other family members and friends who cared for him.

“We, his family, aim to raise funds to donate to charities as the first step in our mission to create change around the stigma of mental health, improve how it is managed and understood.

“We want to help ensure that help is available to young people when they need it most.”

She says any donations they receive will be used to support the mental health charity Rowing Together for Healthy Minds (RTHM), a partner with Mind.

Four members of Monmouth School Rowing Club, where James’ younger bro-ther rows and which is this year celebrating its 150th anniversary, have also announced a 150km row this July to raise £1,000 for the Mind ‘Minds Matter’ appeal as part of the ongoing RTHM campaign.

Completing the distance over two days, 75km a day, the crew will aim to do three times the longest inland British Rowing Race, the Boston Mar- athon, which they picked due to three in every 100 people suffering from depression in the UK.

A member of staff at Monmouth Pre-Prep, Angela Whitehead, also entered the Newport Marathon on Sunday (May 4) in memory of JJ and Monmouth School pupil Tom Walker, who died last year aged 13 of acute myeloid leukaemia - “two amazing boys who both had an illness which they had no chance of beating.”

Her aim is to donate equally between Cancer Research Wales and RTHM, and donations can be made at any Haberdashers’ school reception office in a sealed envelope stating ‘Tom and James fundraising’.

Opening the inquest last month into James de Sousa Stayton’s death, City of London coroner Alison Hewitt said the teenager had died from multiple injuries after falling 100ft to the floor of the cathedral.

She told the hearing, which was attended by his mother, that inquiries were ongoing and a date for a full hearing would be set later.

St Paul’s authorities closed the world famous Whispering Gallery for a safety review following the tragedy.

His family said in a statement released after hios death through City of London Police: “We are all in deep shock at the loss of our beautiful, talented and intelligent son.

“He truly was a young gentlemen, always willing to help others where he could. The world is inarguably a lesser place without JJ.”