Bereaved parents in call for better support
THE parents of a teenager who died after falling at a Magaluf resort have called for more support for recently bereaved people and described their traumatic experience.
Thomas Channon, 18, from Rhoose, was a student at Cardiff’s St David’s College. He was celebrating finishing his A-levels with friends in the holiday resort when he fell seven floors over a 2ft wall and died in 2018.
His parents Ceri and John have described the support as “an absolute nightmare”.
Being left on hold over the phone to the British Consulate, Ceri described it as “horrendous” as she listened to Abba music whilst trying to learn more information surrounding her son’s death.
After campaigning to ensure similar experiences are prevented following a fatality abroad, a new scheme will be piloted in the Balearic Islands next year.
“Tom’s Check” is part of a new training programme for British consulate staff aimed at holiday-goers’ safety when abroad, and appropriate support for bereaved families.
It come after an inquest found Thomas’s death “could have been prevented” if appropriate measures had been taken following a death in similar circumstances five weeks earlier.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, John Channon said the scheme was put in place to learn from the lessons his family endured.
“There will be something positive introduced to try and prevent anything like that happening again and will be in Tom’s name” he said.
The scheme, aimed at taking appropriate measures both abroad and at home, hopes to raise awareness of the dangers going on holiday for young people, and plans to help encourage the lessons being taught in the school curriculum.
Speaking to presenter Claire Summers, the parents highlighted the lack of support for bereaved families for deaths abroad and emphasised communication needed to be improved.
“It was an absolute nightmare, what we have secured now is that it will never ever happen to another family” said Ceri, adding “but should it happen they will never have to face what we have today”.
While on hold to the consulate, Ceri says an Abba song was played whilst trying to gather more information following her son’s death.
“That stays in my memory, it was so traumatic and it was that really that pushed us. This could never ever happen again” she says.