The parents of a Fermanagh man who took his own life at 34 due to gambling addiction visited his former school last week to speak to 130 students about the dangers of such an addiction.

Lewis Keogh, from Lisnarick, had racked up £50,000 in debt due to gambling before he died in 2013.

It was an addiction that neither his parents, Pete and Sadie, nor his friends in Leeds where he had moved to knew anything about.

A former student of Portora Royal School, now ERGS, Lewis' parents wanted to speak to the students about gambling addiction as part of the 'Gambling With Lives' preventative and awareness education programme.

Gambling With Lives is a charity set up in 2018 by families bereaved through gambling-related suicide, which aims to work with young people to raise awareness of the dangerous effects of gambling on mental health, and the high risk of suicide associated with it.

"We wanted to be there, because it was quite special; Lewis went to school in Enniskillen, and went to what was then Portora, and we are fairly sure that he started on his path to gambling addiction during his days in Portora," explained Pete.

He believes Lewis had to wait around for a bus out to Lisnarick, and while waiting he began playing machines in an arcade close to the bus stop.

As part of Pete and Sadie's visit, the students watched a film, and had an interactive Q&A session with them.

The Keoghs said they were pleased with how the event went, with Sadie saying: "I just felt if Lewis had the education that those children had the other day, and realised the dangers of starting gambling, and how it can escalate to a serious addiction – which can result in losing your life – if he had known the dangers of gambling addiction, then I don’t think he would ever have started it, because he was very risk-averse.

"Those kids now know where gambling can lead. Lewis wouldn’t have known that when he started gambling. From that point of view, education is so important."

Barry Fennell, programme manager with Gambling With Lives, was delighted to have had the opportunity to engage with young people from Enniskillen "who learned that gambling disorder and its harms can develop over time".

Heather Kettyle, from ERGS, explained how the talk had been set up as part of the school's preventative curriculum which helps equip young people for life beyond ERGS.

She said: "Hence, the invitation was extended to Gambling With Lives, who have delivered awareness-raising sessions with the 130 Enniskillen Royal Sixth Year students.

"During these sessions, Pete Keogh joined Barry and shared his own personal and very moving experience of the impact of gambling which saw his son, Lewis, take his own life at the age of 34.

"The school visit was poignant for both [the Keoghs] and the students as Lewis was a former pupil of Portora Royal School, a legacy school of Enniskillen Royal."

If anyone would like further information on what Gambling With Lives has to offer, email barry@gamblingwithlives.org.