Zac's story

On the Saturday of the August bank holiday in 2018, Zac left the house in the morning and went up onto the Malvern Hills, where he ended his life. For his family, the pain and grief of that day have never truly diminished.

Zac was a caring, loving person. He had a strong sense of social justice, always trying to do the right thing and so often choosing to put other people's needs before his own. Like many people, he carried his own struggles quietly — battling his demons behind a well-used mask, a smile that hid how much he was hurting.

It's that smile, and everything behind it, that gives our charity its name. Behind the Smile is a reminder that we can never fully know what someone else is carrying, and that a gentle question, a listening ear, or simply showing up can matter more than we'll ever realise.

Continuing Zac's Story;

We chose the semicolon deliberately. It marks the place where a sentence could have ended, but was chosen to continue. In Zac's memory, we help other people continue their own stories — offering the kind of understanding, patience and human connection that can make all the difference.

Everything we do — every peer support group, every wellbeing walk, every quiet conversation over a cuppa — is part of continuing his story, and helping others write the next chapter of theirs.

Your story isn't over.