\n Fred Mitchell, 33, died suddenly on July 12 after years battling ADHD, worsening mental health and addiction.\n<\/p>\n
\n His parents Caroline and Kevin say the shock of losing him, and stories of his quiet kindness, inspired them to set up Fred\u2019s Place, a charity and hub for men struggling to find help.\n<\/p>\n
\n Fred, who lived in Andover, was diagnosed with ADHD as a child but reacted badly to medication, so his family managed it through diet, routine and sport.\n<\/p>\n
\n Fred Mitchell with his mother Caroline Mitchell (Image: Caroline Mitchell)\n<\/p>\n
\n As he grew older, Fred self-medicated with drugs and alcohol, falling into addiction that pushed him away from help and those closest to him.\n<\/p>\n
\n Caroline said: “Fred loved people and he loved life.\n<\/p>\n
\n “He was always there for everyone else, helping friends out of abusive relationships, supporting people when they lost loved ones.\n<\/p>\n
\n “But when it came to his own struggles, shame and fear held him back.\n<\/p>\n
\n “He just couldn\u2019t bring himself to say \u2018I need help\u2019.”\n<\/p>\n
\n In the last few years, a series of family bereavements and personal setbacks left Fred increasingly isolated. His parents now believe that, at times, his calls and long conversations were attempts to reach out without knowing how to say what he really needed.\n<\/p>\n
\n Kevin explained: “That\u2019s part of why we want Fred\u2019s Place to exist.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We want a space where men can come without judgment, where they don\u2019t have to find the perfect words.\n<\/p>\n
\n “If they\u2019re struggling with ADHD, mental health, or addiction, they can just walk in, have a coffee, and start somewhere.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The couple hope to open a charity-linked coffee shop where men feel more comfortable than they would in a clinic or office. They want men to drop in for a bacon sandwich and coffee, then quietly tell staff when life is hard.\n<\/p>\n
\n The parents have already developed one simple idea to make that first step easier: a discreet “wooden spoon” code. At a partner caf\u00e9 or future Fred\u2019s Place premises, anyone feeling vulnerable could ask for a wooden spoon with their drink. Charity-trained staff would recognise the request as a call for help and gently offer a private chat.\n<\/p>\n
\n Fred Mitchell. (Image: Caroline Mitchell)\n<\/p>\n
\n Caroline said: “There\u2019s so much shame around ADHD, mental health, and addiction.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We know from Fred\u2019s experience that people often self\u2011medicate with weed, cocaine, or alcohol because they don\u2019t know where else to turn.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We want to offer another way, somewhere they can speak to someone who understands, be signposted to proper help, or eventually get funding for an ADHD assessment without waiting years.”\n<\/p>\n
\n As well as creating a physical hub, the family hope to build a network of professionals and organisations, from local mental health charities to addiction services, so Fred\u2019s Place can help men navigate a system that often feels fragmented and overwhelming.\n<\/p>\n
\n They also want to support families carrying the \u201cshould have, would have, could have\u201d guilt of watching a loved one battle addiction and mental illness.\n<\/p>\n
\n Caroline and Kevin have raised \u00a35870 for Fred\u2019s Place, mainly through local social media and word of mouth.\n<\/p>\n
\n They are also seeking trustees, volunteers and people with experience of ADHD, mental health problems and addiction to build a registered charity for Fred\u2019s hometown.\n<\/p>\n
\n Caroline said: “Fred would be mortified to be the face of a charity, but he\u2019d be incredibly proud if it meant even one person didn\u2019t have to walk the path he did on their own.\n<\/p>\n
\n “That\u2019s what this is about, compassion, Andover looking after its own, in Fred\u2019s name.”\n<\/p>\n
\n To keep informed on the charity’s updates, visit their Facebook page on: facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61592133041072<\/a> and to donate to their GoFundMe page, visit: gofundme.com\/f\/help-us-create-freds-place.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fred Mitchell, 33, died suddenly on July 12 after years battling ADHD, worsening mental health and addiction. His…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":584098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[103,61,60,410,411],"class_list":["post-584097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}