Our good friend Andy struggled badly with depression and took his life last summer. It's taken close to a year to be able to write these words...

Andy was training hard that summer to swim at Paddle Round the Pier to raise money for MIND Charity. He'd go and swim 100 lengths a day at lunch time to try to get fit for it. He was the most proactive person I knew. He also did wonders at promoting a positive mental attitude (PMA), in spite of everything. 

But in the end, he was unable to do it. Depression sucked the life out of him. At the time, I promised myself I'd swim this year's event in memory of Andy. And with that, start talking more openly about mental health issues and suicide. 

Suicide is the most common cause of death for men aged 20-49 years old (can you believe it?). And yet, we barely talk about it. Grassroots Charity do great work in our local community to prevent suicide through open and honest conversations. They call it Real Talk. The money I hope to raise through this swim will cover the cost of supporting 30 individuals in Real Talk sessions. 

I'll be in the sea thinking about Andy on 6th July at Paddle Round the Pier in Brighton. If you're around and knew Andy (or just care about these issues), join me. It needs to be ok to talk about suicide...

You can find out more about Grassroots here: https://www.prevent-suicide.org.uk/

And here’s more about Real Talk: https://www.prevent-suicide.org.uk/real_talk.html