Conn was truly an extraordinary human being - brother, cousin, uncle, son, and friend. He was and still is the definition of a one in a million person, the type of person you only get to meet once in your life and that you cherish every single last moment with. Growing up, Conn was someone that I admired hugely and who really shaped me into the man I am today; the lessons he taught me and the guidance he gave me is something that I'll take with me for the rest of my life. I think I speak on behalf of all that knew Conn that he was an incredible person, and our lives will never be the same without him.

For those who didn't know Conn, if you gave me one word to describe him, it would most likely be eccentric. Connor would always stray far from what would be described as 'conventional' in all matters of live and always stood up for what was right and what he believed in, whether that was to protect someone he loved or for himself. He apologised to absolutely nobody for the way that he was and to be completely honest, I always found that so refreshing to see.

For someone who was always so full of life, cracking jokes and making people smile, I still find it so hard to believe he's gone and things played out the way it did. Although there were the signs that Conn was struggling with his mental health for many years leading up to his death, never in a million years could we imagine that Conn would eventually take his own life. If there is anything I've learnt from the situation and a lesson I think we can all take onboard as family and friends, it's to look out for each other and talk more. On the surface, it can look like someone's life is going swimmingly but in reality a lot of us struggle with our mental health from time to time. Even just a quick call or dropping by for chat can go a really long way and really boost people when they're struggling, even if they are finding it hard to speak up. 

The tournament this year falls on exactly 4 years since Conn took his own life, so this years' event will be even more sentimental for everyone that knew and loved Connor. For those of you who didn't know Connor very well, he was a huge football fan, especially a fan of FC Barcelona and Messi - hence the Barcelona kit reference for the "Mackay's Misfits" team. If there was one thing he was passionate about throughout his entire life, through all of the many hobbies he explored, it was football. So it's very fitting that we have chosen to remember his legacy through a football tournament. 

All donations made on this JustGiving page and in cash at the tournament will go straight to the Mental Health Foundation, a charity who strives for good mental health for all. They use their funding to carry out research into various mental health issues to work on preventing these issues in the first place, to try and promote good mental health from the get go. You can read more about the amazing work they do here: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work

Thank you for all of your donations in memory of Connor in advance - it means everything to myself, my family and everyone who knew and loved Conn.