If U Care Share co-founder awarded MBE

Shirley Smith, co-founder of suicide prevention charity If U Care Share, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2026.

Shirley, from Lumley near Chester-le-Street, has been recognised for her tireless work in suicide prevention and mental health awareness. 

Her campaigning has helped shape Government policy and played a significant role in bringing conversations around suicide into the public domain.

If U Care Share was founded in 2005 by Shirley, her husband Dean, sons Matthew and Ben, and cousin Sarah following the death by suicide of her eldest son, Daniel O’Hare.

From its beginnings in Chester-le-Street, the charity has gone on to support thousands of people affected by suicide while continuing to campaign for greater awareness and provide vital support services.

Shirley, known affectionately as ‘Our Shirls’, said: “I am of course hugely honoured to have been nominated and to have been given this award which is dedicated to our son, Daniel – and all loved ones who left too soon.

“I would like to say that none of the work If U Care Share Foundation has achieved over the last 21 years since Daniel’s death and the charity’s formation would have been possible without the support of the team of staff, trustees, volunteers, fundraisers, families and individuals who depend on our services.

“It is through their sheer hard work, shared belief, and commitment that I feel I was nominated.”

Daniel was 19 and, as far as his family knew, a happy young man. 

He managed a retail website, enjoyed playing football and spending time with family and friends, and was looking forward to his summer holidays.

In the months following his death, the family began fundraising for mental health charities. 

They sold wristbands carrying the message ‘If U Care Share’ outside Sunderland AFC and Newcastle United matches, raising more than £50,000 for Samaritans in the North East.

In 2011, If U Care Share became a registered charity with three core aims: prevention, intervention and support for those bereaved by suicide.

Today, the organisation is regarded as one of the UK's leading suicide prevention and postvention charities. 

While supporting families across the country, its work remains particularly important in the North East, which has the highest suicide rate in England.

Alongside supporting individuals and families affected by suicide, the charity has spent the last decade helping to develop young footballers through its mental health education and suicide prevention programme.

Its team delivers workshops to players from the age of six through to Under-21 level at Premier League, English Football League and Women's Super League academies across the country. 

Similar programmes are also delivered to businesses, schools and community organisations.

Throughout the charity's development, Shirley has been a leading advocate for improved suicide prevention services and better support for those affected by suicide.

Two years ago, after nearly two decades leading the organisation and helping shape its mission and values, she stepped back from frontline duties, moving from chief executive to trustee.

Shirley remains a member of the Government's advisory group on suicide prevention and continues to play an influential role in national discussions around the issue.

She has also worked closely with police forces, helping establish a pioneering real-time surveillance project in the North East. 

The initiative has since been adopted nationally and forms a key part of the Government's suicide prevention strategy.

Drawing on her family's experience following Daniel's death, Shirley became a passionate advocate for real-time surveillance, which gathers data on suspected suicides as they occur. 

The approach provides earlier warning of emerging trends and risks, rather than relying solely on coroners' inquests, which can often take months or years to conclude.

Recognising the influence of public figures and sports personalities, Shirley and the charity have also worked extensively with celebrities and footballers over the past decade to help spread awareness and encourage conversations around mental health, particularly among young men.

Today, the charity is led by Shirley’s son Matthew, who serves as chief executive and continues its work to challenge the stigma surrounding suicide and raise public awareness.

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