As news of Jenna Parry’s death emerged yesterday, the people of Bridgend began to mourn yet again.

Inevitably, many also began to ask the question that has been posed too many times in recent weeks. What could drive so many young people in one Welsh market town to end their lives in such a short period of time?

And why, the question is being whispered, did each of the teenagers choose to hang themselves?

Officially, there is no reason, and no connection between the deaths.

However, an undercurrent of doubt has led some to question whether a darker combination of factors could be skewing the statistics so worringyly out of line with the national average.

Joan Davies, 79, echoed fears among many of the villagers in Cefn Cribwr, where Jenna lived, five miles from the centre of Bridgend, when she said: “I know the police say that there is no connection between these deaths but it is difficult to believe they are all just coincidences.”

Figures released yesterday by the Office of National Statistics, which do not include the latest suicides, show the death rate from suicide for Welsh males was 19.4 per 100,000 population and 6.3 for women. Across the UK as a whole the rate is 17.4 for men and 5.3 for women.

With the latest death, Bridgend now outstrips the Welsh suicide rate.

Alarmingly, suicide by hanging appears to be much higher among girls in Bridgend than the national average, which sees only a third of young adult women killing themselves in this way, compared with almost half of all young adult men.

Chief Constable David Morris yesterday acknowledged some of the factors common to the teenagers. He said: “They were all young people with big issues. There are a constellation of factors influencing these young people.”

Even the experts appear to be baffled. Others, in the absence of explanations from the professional ranks, are blaming the media, claiming that the unwanted attention being paid to a desperately unwanted phenomenon is glamourising the issue.

The clearest link between 16-year-old Jenna and most of the Bridgend suicide victims seems to be that her family and friends had no idea that she intended to take her life.

Lisa Jones, the mother of Jenna’s best friend, said: “I only saw her last night at about 7pm and she was laughing and giggling, without a care in the world. That’s the sort of person she was. She had everything to live for. This is just so awful. I can’t understand what is going on around here.”

Daniel John, 20, also a friend of Jenna’s, said: “She was so bubbly and carefree, I can’t imagine why she would take her own life. I spoke her to yesterday and she seemed normal, perfectly fine. I can’t get my head around why she has done this.”

As he and others struggle for answers, the offical line that the suicides are completely unrelated remained firmly in place.

People are also asking what it is about Bridgend itself that might provide an explanation. The town, sitting halfway between Cardiff and Swansea, has a population of about 40,000. The unitary area, inside which most of the young people who killed themselves lived, has a population of about 132,000. In 2006 there were 20 suicides recorded for all ages across the unitary authority, 14 of which were those of men.

Although Bridgend’s traditional coalmines have gone, they have been replaced by a sizeable amount of work in the service and manufacturing sectors, with employers such as Ford and Sony.

While poverty exists for some, the area has a relatively strong local economy. Unemployment is below the national average and is certainly no worse than much of the Welsh Valleys region.

It has been said that there is little for young people to do in the town, but if anything the area out towards Cefn Cribwr has more options available than central Bridgend, from where Jenna, her parents and two brothers, moved two years ago.

There is an active rugby club, a centre offering library services and evening classes, plus community centres and youth clubs.

A repeated complaint, however, is that counselling and support services have been starved of funds. Those funds may now come, but only at a tragic cost.

And there is another increasingly common complaint in Bridgend: that media attention is unhelpful. Sharon Pritchard, the mother of Nathaniel Pritchard, who killed himself last week, said: “We feel coverage put an idea into his head and is glamorising ways of taking your own life. We never believed his death was linked to other deaths or there was an internet pact and it certainly had nothing to do with living in Bridgend. Bridgend is a nice place to live.”

Internet postings

Times Online
“As a mother and teacher I would be demanding the mental health services to conduct a ‘no stone left unturned’ inquiry whilst simultaneously sending in adolescent mental health experts to find out what is developing prior to the suicides.”
Sue Moore, La Jolla, California
Communities in rural areas have suffered so BADLY in terms of resources that the urban masses take for granted, they are often socially and materially marginalised, with unequal life opportunities.
CraigT, wales

“There Should Be More Social Support Groups For Teenagers And A lot More Investigations On These Suicides! This Is No Where Near A Internet Suicide Pact! we are all bebo users and have never come across any thing to do with this topic.”
Kathryn, Aimee Jones, Bridgend,

Bebo
Posted on Bridgend Boys and Girls R.I.P to those who have died sorry for the losses of ur town . . .
Vikki

Facebook
The media is a big problem, its a domino effect
Nadia Francis
“I think most people in the UK have heard of our town now, what a terrible reputation it is developing. Sad to see.”
Andrew Kasper
“people have been commiting suicde loads of places for years its only cos recently there's been more in bigend that people notice! and i seriously doubt its a cult thats to blame its just today's society. some people just don't know how to cope.”Angharad Kitchener-Hanley ~
“Sounds like a cult to me and whoever it is keeps everything off the internet as they know they can be traced — need to get police into schools etc to search lockers, bags whatever it takes to find out what the hell is going on!”
Rebecca Porter

Gonetoosoon.co.uk
“Jus heard about this tragic incedent, carnt belive its happend to yet another young person, my love goes out to her friends and family.”
annymos from merthyr tydfil
“another life lost realy feel for the family love to to you all.but please donot blame sites like GTS this site is fab a real help to those familys to leave candles and tributes.”
sharon creater john kevins site from pontypridd
“what a sad waste for such a pretty girl. the only ones who can stop this is the young persons doing it. there is help out there but they dont choose to take it.”
stacey from bridgend

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