Wish You Could Have Stayed, a film about mental health, alcohol and a family
Tuesday 1st February 2022
The 36 minute film 'Wish You Could Have Stayed' tells the story of Henry’s older brother and Sally’s son Tom Maybury who was a young, sporty, talented man who simply stumbled in life, falling into a depression which led to his mental health suffering and using alcohol as a coping mechanism.
The trailer, on YouTube, can be seen here:
This film can be used by secondary schools, and other groups, as a starting point to discuss some of the issues explored including: mental health, alcohol use, coping with change and loss. This is more than a simple cautionary tale about a young man who became dependant on alcohol, this is a complex and moving story of an individual and a family. Although there are no easy answers, there is a positive message of hope "You are not alone and there is help out there".
The structure of the film
For the first 20 minutes Henry and Sally take the audience step by step through Tom’s life from a child to their last moments beside him in hospital before he died at the young age of 29 years old after losing his battle with alcohol addiction. However the film doesn't stop there.
The next section continues to explore the impact on the family and their response to the events. Sally and Henry explain how this led to creative song writing, the production of music videos, this film and the setting up of the Lost Days Charitable Trust.
The video includes the music videos, Lost Days and Every Night and Day, which tell the story of an alcoholic struggling with their demons and how they slowly start to change and deteriorate in front of their family.
Telling the story
Sally and Henry Maybury lost Tom (Sally’s son and Henry’s brother) in his 20s due to poor mental health and alcohol addiction. Since then, they have visited schools to tell Tom’s story and have won numerous awards for their work and Henry was awarded a Youth Community Champion Award by Caroline Flint MP in Westminster.
Through grants and kind donations, they have recently been able to afford to make a film to support educational settings in their duty to ensure all young people know how to recognise the early signs of mental wellbeing concerns; understand the physical and psychological risks associated with alcohol consumption; and the physical and psychological consequences of addiction, including alcohol dependency.
Access to the film
The film can be accessed for FREE but Sally and Henry ask users to fundraise (which could be via a cake sale or non-uniform day) to raise money for The Lost Days Charitable Trust who use donations to sponsor individuals through rehabilitation.
If you would like access to the full-length film and accompanying teaching materials (produced with the help of professionals who work with those affected by addiction) and/or would like to arrange for Sally and Henry to talk to your students/answer questions they may have, contact either:
Henry Maybury: henrymayburymusic@gmail.com or Sally Maybury: sallymaybury@yahoo.com
