Darwen girl, 21, killed herself because she couldn't find a job

Vicky Harrison's parents said their 'bubbly, clever girl' felt humiliated and embarrassed after applying for hundreds of posts over two years.

She took a huge overdose of pills and left a note to her family saying 'I don't want to be me any more'.

Her death came the day after she had received another rejection letter following a recent job interview.

Mum Louise said: “Vicky was a wonderful daughter and to say her death was a shock is an understatement.

"We are struggling to come to terms with it.

“Vicky is and always was special."

Dad Tony said: “In the end it obviously got her down to such a point that she felt she had no future.

“It shouldn’t have been like that. She had a lot to give and was very determined."

Vicky, of Darwen, had 10 GCSES at grade A-C and three A-levels at grade B-D, but could not find work after dropping out of university in her first year.

She was due to sign on at the Job Centre the next morning and her mum and dad said she couldn’t face it after two years of fruitless job hunting.

As well as devastating her family and boyfriend Nathan Haworth, Vicky's death has left her many friends heartbroken.

More than 270 people have posted tributes on social networking site Facebook.

Now the family, along with her boyfriend Nathan Haworth, are calling for more support for the young unemployed.

They also hope to set up a charity or foundation in her name to provide support for the thousands of young people who struggle with unemployment.

New figures show that there are more than 4,000 young people claiming job seeker’s allowance in East Lancashire, up around 48 per cent since the country went into recession.

Vicky, who lived in Darwen, left three suicide notes, one each for her mother, father and boyfriend.

In them she wrote: “It is just that I don’t want to be me any more.

"Please don’t be sad. It is not your fault. I want everybody in my life to be HAPPY.”

Her family said she had no history of depression but had become upset at her lack of success in the jobs market.

She had gone for a wide range of jobs including shop work, waitressing and school dinnerlady.

She applied for a dozen jobs a week, hundreds in total, over the past two years.

But her parents said she became disillusioned in the week before her death about her lack of prospects.

She was found dead by her father in the lounge of her disabled mother’s home in Ribble Avenue, Darwen, on March 31 surrounded by empty blister packs and empty pill bottles.

Mr Harrison said: “She was such a gorgeous girl and had a stunning smile.

"She was clever too. She had 10 GCSEs and three A-Levels.

"There was no reason why she shouldn’t have been able to find a job.

“What upsets us so much is that there are obviously so many other people out there in a similar position because unemployment among the young is such a problem.”

Mrs Harrison said that, looking back now, it was obvious how upset Vicky had become.

But she said: “She would never want to tell us how down she was because she didn’t want to upset us.

“She kept asking me why things weren’t working out for her.

"I think she had so many knock-backs that it affected her confidence and it is no wonder that she was not getting jobs when she was so unconfident.

“I think in the end she was upset that she had no money because she was only getting £45 per week job-seeker’s allowance and she felt that she was losing touch with her friends because she couldn’t afford to go out.

“But also she was humiliated that she couldn’t find work. It was an embarrassing situation for her.

“The day before she died she had a rejection letter from a nursery job she had gone for and that was a blow.

"The irony is that most firms don’t even bother to tell you that you’ve not got the job.

“I am sure that that letter combined with the fact that she had to go and sign on the next day was too much for her.

“She had taken so many set-backs finding a job.”

She had been together with her boyfriend for three and a half years after meeting on a night out in Blackburn.

Mr Haworth, 22, who lives in Higher Croft, Blackburn, said he had lost his soulmate.

He said: “We want to start a foundation or a group where we can raise awareness for people who are struggling like Vicky was.

"It needs to be a place where people can talk and understand that it is not the end of the world.”

Vicky’s funeral took place last week at Darwen Masonic Hall.

A full inquest is set to take place into her death on June 9.

She excelled at school

VICKY was born at Queen’s Park hospital in November 1988 and went to Sudell Primary School before studying at Darwen Moorland High School.

Her family said she excelled at school where she took 10 GCSEs, gaining all A-C grades.

She went to Runshaw College, Leyland, where she studied A Levels gaining a C in English language, a B in film studies and a B Media Studies. She also gained a grade D in 16th century history at AS level.

Her passions were for film and books and her favourite authors included Philippa Gregory, who penned The Other Boleyn Girl.

Her favourite films included The King and I and The Duchess.

She then won a place at South Bank University in London where she studied for a BA in film and media studies but she decided to come back to Darwen after her first year.

During her year in London she worked as a waitress at the Oval Cricket ground and enjoyed socialising with her group of friends, known as East 17 because of the name of their block at their halls of residence.

Her father Tony said: “She was always such a hard worker and always enjoyed her studies.

"In the end she decided that university was not for her but she never expected to struggle so much to find a job.

“The timing was unlucky because of the recession. She never wanted any charity and that is why she was so desperate to work.”