Hotline success of Highland charity Mikeysline has been adopted around the world
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On a cold December night five years ago, a candlelit vigil took place in Inverness in memory of two young men who taken their own lives.
It marked the start of the pioneering suicide prevention charity Mikeysline and its innovative text-for-help hotline service which has since helped hundreds of people experiencing thoughts of depression, anxiety, worry or stress.
As it marks its anniversary with people being invited to join in a virtual candlelit vigil due to the coronavirus pandemic, those involved with the charity say it is needed more than ever amid warnings that the events of 2020 will continue to impact on people's mental health.
Ron Williamson helped found the charity following the death of his nephew, Michael Williamson, who was just 23 when he died at his Inverness home two days after his friend, Martin Shaw, had also been found dead.
"I think there was a desperate need for it but I had no idea of the extent of that desperation," he said.
"In mountaineering terms, we have reached base camp - but there is still a mountain to go."
He said the charity's approach in setting up a text hotline service has been adapted around the world.
"I think the thing I am most proud of is the way people in the Highlands got behind it and turned Mikeysline into a household name.
"By getting behind Mikeysline they have shown there is a loving, caring, empathetic side to the people of Inverness and the Highlands. There is a determination to help in any way they can.
"Six years ago, people were still hiding being their doors dealing with depression on their own and not talking about it.
"The stigma was there and shame – wrongly-based shame.
"If Mikeysline has done anything, it is getting people talking.
"It is getting celebrities talking. It is getting royalty talking. It is getting parliament talking."
But he acknowledged he is concerned about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think what concerns me most is the damage it is doing to young people in their teens which could manifest itself in the coming years," he said.
"They don't have the normal interaction which is necessary for teenage years which brings a sense of community.
"They are not together.
"They are anxious about their futures. They are anxious about their exams. There is no normality to it.
"There is no sense of belonging – that you are on your own."
But on the plus side, he believed families had also come closer together because of lockdown and restrictions and were having to talk to each other.
While funding was needed to help tackle the issues of mental health, Mr Williamson also called on people and communities to play their part.
"We need people to be the scourge of depression," he said.
"It cannot just be left to the government or NHS."
Anyone wanting support can text Mikeysline on 07786 20 77 55.
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