Globally, the rate of suicide is alarmingly high, particularly in men. Too many men are ‘toughing it out’, keeping their feelings to themselves and struggling in silence. Movember is aiming to reduce the rate of male suicide by 25% by 2030, and I want to help them get there. Help me stop men dying too young.

On the fourth of August this year, I received the heart-wrenching news that the man I called my best friend for so many years, had lost the battle with his own mental health and took his life. We had fallen out of contact over the last few years, through no fault of our own, and I had assumed that he had continued living his life as the bubbly, kind, caring young man that he was. In our youth, I looked up to Richard Wragg as a friend, a brother and an inspiration. I always wished that I was a bit more like him. Never did I consider that anything was amiss, it was too easy to imagine him living his life to the full potential that I saw in him. The first news I heard of him in years was the news of his death, and it shook me to the core.

I owe my current profession to Richard. Climbing trees and building tree houses as teenagers was cathartic for the both of us, and was my inspiration for becoming a tree surgeon with Artemis Tree Services. The physically demanding nature of the job as well as the working with the natural environment has proved invaluable to my mental state, and I just wish he could have seen me now.

I also have struggled with my own mental health over the years, including years of depression and the drug and alcohol abuse which came hand in hand with it. Though I'm not recovered, I am able to take life a day at a time doing a new job that I love. Something that has really helped me along is being open and honest with the people closest to me, and though the weight of the dark feelings was no lighter, the relief came from the understanding and support I received. Previously I had underestimated the power of verbalising emotion, and really struggled to do so. I think back to Richard and, perhaps selfishly, wish that either of us had reached out to the other, to talk like old friends about how life had been treating us since we last met, how we had developed from teenagers into adulthood. We will never have that conversation, or any other, and I fear I will regret this as long as I do live.

Nobody should have to struggle in silence. Nobody should have to lose a son, a brother, a father, uncle or a friend to suicide. There are professionals to talk to, organisations who can help, ways to manage suicidal thoughts, and no man should be ashamed or fearful for reaching out for help, wherever that may come from. It can be the difference between life and death, and I urge everybody to choose life.

I miss you every day Richard. I hope you have found your peace.