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'Even if we can help just one person' - Highland family vow young man's life won't be in vain as they dig deep to help mental health charities including Mikeysline


By Val Sweeney

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Martin Scott with the colours of the Covenanters at a Kings and Clansmen event at Fort George.
Martin Scott with the colours of the Covenanters at a Kings and Clansmen event at Fort George.

A young man’s life will not have been in vain, his parents have vowed, as they work to raise money for mental health charities following his death.

Martin Scott, of Nairn, took his own life last September aged 32, just months after moving into a new flat, buying a new car and starting a new job.

Father Mal Scott described the shock of the news.

"The knock at the door with the policeman standing there, nobody should go through that," he said.

"Parents shouldn’t have to arrange their child’s funeral.

"These are the kind of things that don’t leave you. They are there every day.

"We are trying to get ourselves through this and help others at the same time.

"We know Martin wouldn’t want us to be sad, and we want something positive to come from this – even if we can help just one person."

Martin was an outgoing man with many friends and hobbies ranging from football to battle re-enactment. He was also a third-degree black belt in taekwondo.

His family had no reason to believe he was struggling.

Mr Scott said: "Martin always seemed to be very happy. We had no reason to suspect there was anything wrong. He never spoke about how he felt.

"Last year, a family friend gave us some really old muskets that Martin was helping renovate. He was really knowledgeable about them, so really happy about that.

"That was two days before he took his own life.

"We don’t know what his reasons were. He had no debts, no health problems. But things you might think are not a worry quite possibly are."

Since Martin’s death, Mr Scott and wife Margaret, along with daughter Helen (35) and grandson Mikey (6), have raised more than £5000 to be split between Inverness-based Mikeysline, national charity SAMH and Mental Mechanics, a football club set up after Forres man Charlie Tull took his own life in 2019.

"It really hit us when we read about Mental Mechanics and what they are trying to do," Mr Scott said.

"One of their friends was a Mechanics supporter, like Martin, and died. Now they are raising awareness and money for mental health issues. We really like what they are doing.

"It’s no doubt been difficult for them during lockdown but they are still promoting their cause."

Fin Anderson, co-founder of Mental Mechanics, said the club was “honoured” to receive the donation.

"It’s a massive amount of money and we are honoured that the family saw fit to donate it to us," he said.

You can donate at www.mentalmechanicsfc.co.uk

Related story: Need for services provided by Highland mental health charity set to grow


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