Fiancé of doctor driven to death by ‘gay cure’ advice walks 130 miles in his memory
Matt Ogston at Hampstead Cemetery on Saturday. Picture: Nigel Sutton. - Credit: Nigel Sutton
The fiancé of a Harley Street doctor who took his own life after his mother told him to find a “cure” for being gay has embarked on a 130-mile sponsored walk in aid of a foundation set up in honour of his late partner.
Matt Ogston set off on a journey to Birmingham from Hampstead Cemetery, in Fortune Green Road, West Hampstead, on Saturday to raise awareness and funds for the Naz and Matt Foundation, which was launched following the death of Dr Nazim Mahmood.
Mr Ogston was joined by friends and supporters at the cemetery for the start of an eight-day walk which will finish in Handsworth Cemetery in Birmingham, where Dr Mahmood is buried.
Dr Mahmood leapt to his death from the balcony of his apartment in Fawley Road, off West End Lane, West Hampstead, on July 30 last year.
At the inquest into his fiancé’s death, Mr Ogston told the court that Dr Mahmood took his own life after confiding in his Muslim mother for the first time about his sexuality and 13-year-relationship with Mr Ogston, who told him to see a psychiatrist to find a “cure”.
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The Naz and Matt Foundation aims to change attitudes and increase acceptance of gay, lesbian and transgender young people born into religious families, and to offer support to individuals affected.
If you wish to sponsor Mr Ogston, visit justgiving.com/TheJourneyToFindAcceptance.
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For more information about the Naz and Matt Foundation, go to nazandmattfoundation.org
