Safer places
Campaigning for stronger safety measures and earlier intervention at the Tay Road Bridge and other high-risk locations.
Walk with Phoenix
Turning love into action.
Created in memory of Phoenix Birkett, forever 17, the campaign carries his story forward by working to prevent other families from experiencing the same devastating loss.
Understanding crisis
Raising awareness that an impulsive crisis—particularly for a young neurodivergent person—can escalate within minutes and must be recognised early.
Support before crisis
Helping children, teenagers, parents and professionals understand big emotions, spot warning signs and find compassionate support before feelings become overwhelming.
Why it matters
Phoenix’s story is creating a call for change.
Phoenix was bright, funny and deeply caring. His ADHD shaped how intensely he experienced emotions and the world around him. Walk with Phoenix asks communities, services and decision-makers to look beyond labels, recognise distress sooner and respond with compassion.
The campaign also supports practical learning that helps young people understand emotions, failure, impulsivity and how to reach for help before a difficult moment becomes a crisis.
Phoenix's legacy is a promise: to listen sooner, understand differently and create change that saves lives.
Campaign progress tracker · Updated 26 October 2026
Taking Phoenix’s story to people who can help create change.
Walk with Phoenix has grown from a family and community campaign into conversations, correspondence and public advocacy at local, Scottish and UK level. This public tracker records completed steps and the responses still awaited.
CAMHS evidence report shared for public discussion
The report and letter sent to the First Minister on 21 October 2026 are now available to read. Families, young adults and professionals are invited to share what worked, where gaps remain and what should change.
Meeting with Scotland’s First Minister
Lisa met First Minister John Swinney to share Phoenix’s story and discuss bridge safety, neurodivergent young people and the need to learn from Phoenix’s death.
Correspondence from Buckingham Palace
The campaign received a letter from the office of His Majesty King Charles III acknowledging Lisa’s correspondence and the work being carried forward in Phoenix’s memory.
The Courier coverage
The Courier has reported on Phoenix’s story, the campaign, Lisa’s meeting with the First Minister and her call for meaningful change, helping the message reach a wider community.
Number 10 reply received — follow-up submitted
The Prime Minister’s Office replied in a letter dated 12 October 2026, acknowledging Phoenix and Walk with Phoenix. Lisa submitted a follow-up on 21 October asking for clear responsibility, action, a timetable and family involvement. A substantive response to that follow-up is awaited; no specific action or timetable has been committed.
Scottish Parliament petition PE2289 — open for signatures
Review crisis intervention and safety measures on Scotland’s bridges has been under consideration since 15 October 2026. The petition calls for an independent national review, minimum monitoring and response standards, staff training, evidence-based physical safeguards and national guidance. Signatures can be added until the petition closes.
Fatal Accident Inquiry request submitted
A request for consideration of a discretionary Fatal Accident Inquiry was sent to COPFS on 9 October 2026. A response and confirmation of the next steps are awaited. An inquiry has not been granted.
Equality and Human Rights Commission evidence submitted
An indexed evidence pack and response were submitted on 5 October 2026. Assessment or further requests are awaited; submission does not confirm acceptance for investigation.
Specialist legal support being sought
Following a reply from INQUEST signposting Scottish services, a further enquiry for specialist advice and possible representation was sent on 26 October 2026. Responses are awaited and representation is not yet confirmed.
The petition appeal is reaching more people
On 26 October, signing links were added to the PheNature home, campaign and petition pages. The appeal was published on Facebook and LinkedIn, with a short petition video scheduled for Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
A note on accuracy: correspondence from Buckingham Palace is described as an acknowledgement, not Royal endorsement. The letter to the Prime Minister is a request for consideration and does not imply Government endorsement.
Campaign update · 15 September 2026
Questions about records, evidence and the response to Phoenix’s distress.
Following information disclosed by the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board, Lisa has prepared a structured evidence chronology and discrepancy schedule concerning the death of her 17-year-old son, Phoenix, on 8 April 2026.
Important factual inconsistencies
The disclosed records contain inconsistencies concerning Phoenix’s age, clothing, the recorded location and even the year of the incident. These are material details that require correction or formal annotation and independent examination.
Questions about the complete CCTV
The Joint Board says all incident footage was provided to Police Scotland, but that it did not retain the full unredacted footage and now holds only excerpts. The campaign is seeking a clear account of what existed, what was retained and how every remaining record is being preserved.
Independent scrutiny and accountable learning
The chronology separates the Bridge’s recorded position from Lisa’s account and identifies evidence still required. It is being used to support complaints, information appeals and legal review while the campaign continues to call for earlier intervention and safer environments.
Important: these matters remain disputed or unresolved. The evidence schedule is a working document, not a finding of fact. Precise incident details and personal contact information are not published here in order to protect privacy, public safety and the integrity of ongoing processes.
Josef's next Walk With Phoenix
Help every step make a difference.
Josef is preparing to lace up his walking boots once again and take on another challenge in memory of Phoenix—Forever 17.
His walk helps keep Phoenix's name alive while raising awareness of the need for better mental-health support for neurodivergent young people, safer environments and earlier compassionate intervention.
Please donate if you can, and share the fundraiser so more people can walk beside Josef.
Walk with Phoenix
Watch the latest campaign video.
Follow the journey, share Phoenix's story and help Walk with Phoenix reach more people.
Watch on InstagramThe Phoenix Principles
A practical framework for earlier understanding and prevention.
The Phoenix Principles bring together what Lisa believes children, families, schools, services and decision-makers can learn from Phoenix’s life and death. Their purpose is to help young people feel understood before distress becomes crisis.
Recognise distress sooner
Look beyond labels and understand that a neurodivergent crisis may appear as agitation, anger, impulsivity or withdrawal.
Respond before the final moment
Treat rapidly escalating behaviour as a reason for compassionate intervention, not as something that only becomes urgent at the point of immediate danger.
Teach that failure is part of growth
Help children understand mistakes and setbacks without shame, so one difficult moment never feels like the end of their story.
Make help easier to accept
Give young people practical, age-appropriate ways to name emotions, regulate, communicate and reach a trusted person.
Learn and improve
Encourage schools, services and public bodies to listen to families, examine what happened and turn learning into measurable prevention.
What happens next
The work continues.
The campaign will continue calling for safer environments, earlier recognition of neurodivergent crisis, better emotional education and accountable learning when opportunities to intervene have been missed.