A ‘popular and caring’ Basingstoke-based charity fundraiser took his own life after struggling to cope with work pressures, an inquest has heard.

Brook Edmunds was a “workaholic” and was unable to cope with the high expectations he placed on himself, Winchester Coroner’s Court was told today (March 23).

The 43-year-old was described by his family and friends as a “caring, thoughtful, wonderful human being” who was “always busy doing something”, whether it was giving everything to his work, or raising thousands of pounds for charity through extreme physical challenges.

Loved ones told assistant area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp his death "didn't make sense".

The alarm was first raised when Brook didn't turn up to a work meeting on June 22, 2020.

His employers, merchandising firm Momentum Instore, rang his next of kin who are based in Northamptonshire.

His sister, Judy, who works for Northamptonshire Police, rang Hampshire Police to report him missing.

Officers went to his third-floor flat in Winchester Way in Basingstoke and got no answer. Initially believing his car was missing, a search to find Brook began.

It wasn’t until the following day, that it became clear his car was in fact parked on the street.

Police forced entry to his home at around 4.45pm, where they found Brook lying in his bed, having committed suicide. He had not left a note.

His friends and family said his death "didn't make any sense".

His doctors surgery, Crown Heights, said he was not on any regular medication or a frequent patient, other than receiving vaccinations for multiple charity trips including climbing Kilimanjaro, and treks in South Africa and Nepal.

He had complained of lack of sleep in December 2019, and seemed in a low mood, related to work issues. However, he completed a self-referral form for i-talk, but never responded to invites to make an appointment.

His colleague Lee Mather, of merchandising company Momentum Instore, told the court that Brook was “absolutely brilliant” to work with, but said he was struggling with his workload. When his original 12 month contract was extended, he became a client delivery manager for Homebase, which led to him being the “go-to” contact for them.

In November 2019, Brook told the firm he was finding work overwhelming. Mr Mather told the court steps were put in place to alleviate this, however in December it became clear it wasn’t enough.

Mr Maher said: “It became immediately clear to me that it was beyond the point of task rotation. Brook always struck me as a very confident person, and he was tearful and struggling to speak, so I made the decision to remove him from Homebase immediately.”

Brook was given a sabbatical from work over Christmas. After being furloughed in April, he was described as being keen to get back to work, according to Mr Mather.

The employee told the court the months as lockdown lifted were fast-paced, and Brook was chosen to be returned to work on a large project for Ladbrokes due to his skills.

Mr Mather was emotional as he recalled that Brook was keen to get back to work, and gave no indication he was struggling again.

He said: “As soon as I was aware in December, we made a decision immediately. If we had had any idea of what he was feeling in the summer, we would have dealt with it.”

Brook’s partner, David Rey said he was “very confused” by what happened because “I just got no indication from him”.

He continued: “He was an amazingly kind, good person, but also very quiet, so it was very difficult to know how he was feeling.”

David, who lives in London, met with Brook for the last time in person the weekend before he died, for a walk in Richmond Park.

“He was a bit quieter than normal I would say, but we also joked and there was nothing to indicate what was coming. We had plans together for the future. We had things booked, he booked them. There’s just no way there was planning involved here.”

David talked about trips the couple planned to take, as well as improvements Brook had recently made to his flat, and even the purchase of a lottery ticket just days before.

However, the coroner said that there had been some “significant events” in Brook’s life which were “inexplicable”, but could be seen as “stepping stones”.

In 2017, he cut himself off from his “loving and supportive” family and many friends. They continued to call, and send birthday and Christmas cards and money, keeping tabs on him via social media. But he did not respond.

His sister said there was “no argument or anything that led up to this. I felt Brook just wanted to simplify his life.”

The coroner added: “It shows that part of him was still thinking about the future, but there was another part that no one knew about”.

Echoing this, a statement from Brook’s parents said his death “did not make sense”.

They described their son as “able to say much in few words, calming, caring, tidy inside and out, thoughtful, a wonderful human being”, adding: “There is nothing we wouldn’t have done for Brook from the day he was born. He could have brought any of his problems to us or any of his very large family.”

Brook raised thousands of pounds for cancer charities through epic challenges including marathons and triathlons - with his parents saying his philanthropy began at a young age, when he would grow plants to sell for the local Scouts group.

“Health and fitness were very important to him. He didn’t drink, and wouldn’t even take paracetamol without good reason,” they said.

“We never doubted that he would return to us if we gave him space. It is our biggest regret that we did not resolve the situation.”

Area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp: “What is absolutely clear was that Brook was extremely popular and much-loved. Clearly he was very particular in delivering his best for the team, and one gets the impression that was a bar he set for himself.”

She continued: “Obviously Brook’s death has affected everyone who knew him extremely badly. He was clearly an extremely talented, kind, and competent person.

“Quite what was in his mind when he did what he did, none of us know. The conclusion is that, at that moment, for whatever reason, Brook had taken his life and intended to do so, and therefore the appropriate conclusion is suicide.”

A Justgiving page set up in Brook’s memory by his colleagues at Momentum Instore raised more than £7,000 for the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably), and tributes poured in from friends and colleagues.

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