Lucy's Legacy: 'We're championing better maternal mental healthcare in memory of our friend and sister'

They say they are “fighting for better maternal mental health in Lucy’s memory” and have already been able to fund a talking therapy and counselling referral service for people with maternal mental health issues in partnership with Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Mind.

"It’s actually saving women in our area right now,” says Faye. “It started as a tribute at Lucy's funeral thinking ‘oh we might raise a few hundred pounds’ and what started as a tribute has turned into a massive movement for change really.”

Lucy, from Ryedale, died at the age of 37, leaving two young children - her family and friends feel she was let down by maternal mental health care. An inquest into her death has yet to take place.

Lucy’s Legacy was born with the aim of raising awareness and funds to support those struggling and to take action against a “postcode lottery of perinatal care”.

“We must break the silence, challenge stigma and ensure no mother is left behind,” the founders say.

Already more than £25,000 has been raised in Lucy’s memory, with that total set to receive a further boost with a Blackjack and Bands evening at Kirkbymoorside Golf Club on Saturday, October 4 – the first event to be held since the first anniversary of Lucy’s death.

Faye says her sister wanted to volunteer for Mind charity when she got better, which is what has sparked the collaboration.

“This past year has been like pure devastation,” she says, “It's like you're living in a nightmare...What we've tried to do is put all these horrible feelings into something positive that Lucy would want...She wanted to be the voice on the end of that phone helping women like her.”

Holly adds: “This is something for the kids too – for us to be able to say look at what your mummy has done and how many other mummies she has helped. We want to make her proud.”

The pair say Lucy began struggling a few months after having her first baby in 2021. “She was an absolutely fabulous mum,” Faye says, “and she was totally enjoying motherhood.

"Then we noticed a real change in her. She went really quiet, inward, not wanting to go out, not wanting to see friends, the total opposite of her normal characteristics.”

Then, when her eldest turned one, “it was like a flick of a switch...she was totally back to normal. We got Lucy back.”

In the months after her youngest was born, Lucy’s mental health began to decline again.

Holly says: “Lucy as a person was warm and witty, with such a dry sense of humour. She was outgoing, fiercely protective, loving and loyal.”

“It was just like a a dark cloud had completely taken over,” Faye adds, “like her spark had gone. It’s scary to think that you can literally go from one to the other in a matter of a month.”

The Yorkshire Post understands that the Tees, Esk and Wear Valley NHS Trust, through which Lucy was accessing services, produced an investigation report following her death.

A spokesperson for the trust said: “Our hearts go out to Lucy’s family and friends, we are truly sorry for their loss.

"We worked with Lucy’s family to review her care so we can understand areas where we need to improve and if there is anything different we could have done. This will be explored as part of the inquest into Lucy’s death."

Earlier this month, the MBRRACE-UK collaboration published its Saving Lives, Improving Mothers' Care 2025 report, based on UK and Ireland confidential enquiries into maternal deaths and morbidity from 2021 to 2023.

The report said deaths from psychiatric causes accounted for 34 per cent of maternal deaths occurring between six weeks and one year after the end of pregnancy.

Those behind Lucy's Legacy have a simple goal - to save more mothers.

Holly says: “We are doing what we can, trying to save more mums so other families don't have to be in our position.”

To find out more about Lucy’s Legacy, visit lucyslegacy.co.uk and to donate, visit lucypearson.muchloved.com