Group of friends raise £4,300 for local mental health charity after death of 19 year old.

A group of young men have raised more than £4,300 pounds at a charity football match they organised in memory of their friend.

Callam Coyle took his own life last year aged just 19.

Led by Tony McDonald, along with Alfie McDonald, Camryn Coyle, Todd Lochlin and Finlay Ness, the game was held at Stark's Park in December.

The money raised has been donated to Dunfermline-based mental health charity Tartan Talkers.

It was started in memory of Scott Taylor from Cowdenbeath to support people in Fife and across Scotland with mental health issues.

It's founder Jackie Walls has thanked the boys for their donation. 

She said "It's amazing and will help us with so much, fund our premises in Ballingry and help people in that area."

But she says the number of people struggling is increasing.

She said: "It's an absolutely massive problem. It's off the scale and it's getting worse.

"There seems to be so many pressures just now. People are emotionally and financially on their knees.

"They someone or some place to reach out to.

"it's unbelievable. We've only been running roughly 18 months and since January we've had a lot of people contacting us.

"We've got children contacting us as well, as young as 12, now that greatly concerns me. We point them in the right directions to the right people.

"It's a major problem and it is getting busier."

"Acknowledging you're in a rocky place can be very a difficult thing. We've got to get past that.

"Men are human, they hurt just like everyone else. They feel negative emotions too.

"There's so many places that can help them but they've got to reach out, and everyone they know would jump in to help them if they knew the were struggling.

"Every organisation needs to work together. It's the only way we can reduce the suicide figures.

"There's a huge stigma with mental health especially with men and we have to try and break those barriers but we need the men to help us, it's the only way we can take it forward."

 

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