A LOVING sister from Malvern is set to take a leap of faith to raise funds for charity in memory of her brother who took his own life in January.
Sonena Hodges , better known as ‘Nena’, is expected to complete a tandem skydive on August 30 to fundraise for men’s mental health charity, Talk Club, in honour of her younger brother, Danian Roleston-Lowe – a former West Mercia Police officer who died earlier this year.
The officer served on the force for more than 28 years and was based at the Hindlip headquarters in Worcester. The Malvern native was a resident of Pershore.
On her fundraising page, Nena – who grew up in Malvern and now lives in Shrewsbury – spoke candidly about her brother’s struggles with mental health and suicide – a battle ‘Dane’ endured for close to two decades.
She said: ” Dane was the sweetest, kindest man, he was charismatic, charming and incredibly funny, everyone that knew him just absolutely loved him.
“He was an adored son, brother, father, uncle, nephew and friend to many many people.
“We all tried so hard to convince him to stay, to make him realise he had more to stay for than to leave, that the world was a brighter, happier place with Dane in it.
“If only Dane had seen in himself what we all saw in him. I loved his company, his silliness, his cheekiness (which at times drove me mad). I never envisaged a world without him in it and I still can not now.”
After three previous suicide attempts in 2009 followed by years of mental health struggles, Dane took his own life on January 31, 2025 without warning.
Nena added: “I am thinking of you Dane. I always have and I always will. I miss you so much. I loved you so much.
“Our lives will never be the same. I wish with every fibre of my being that I could have made him stay. We are heartbroken and our lives are shattered.”
The loving sister now hopes to raise £1,500 for Talk Club which seeks to change appalling statistics about male suicide (76 per cent of suicides in the UK are male) through a community of talking, exercising or therapy groups to drive change in how men connect.
These groups are safe and confidential spaces to encourage more men to open up and take charge of their mental health. This, in turn, saves lives.
Nena said: “Dane would think this was hilarious. He would say ‘no you are 54-years-old and you hate heights, what are you thinking?’
“This Skydive is in Dane’s memory. To maybe help at least one person come back from the edge.
“To help at least one family keep someone they so dearly love, and maybe while I am up there I can tell him it’s not so bad down there Dane, come back with me.”
So far, Nena has raised over £1,000 towards her goal. Visit www.justgiving.com/page/sonena-hodges-1738683354988 more information.
