****UPDATE: We are completely overwhelmed and grateful for all your support! We have reached an unexpected milestone of £5000 and have now extended our target. The donations will go a long way so we are truly thankful for all your generosity.****

All donations will be split between Leeds Mind (www.leedsmind.org.uk) and Andy’s Man Club (www.andysmanclub.co.uk)

We have created this page to honour the memory of our beloved son and brother, Taran Singh Degun. Taran suffered from depression and anxiety which led to him tragically taking his own life on 11th Sep 2021.

We can’t put into words how it feels to have lost our precious Taran. Nor can we describe the gap that now exists where his warm, cheeky smile used to be. What we can do is recall how deeply and joyfully he touched our lives. We can also share the hope that there is help for other people, like Taran, who find themselves in crisis and feel existence is just too hard to bear.

Taran had time for everyone. He was the life and soul of the party, always the first on the dance floor, and the first to take photos with everyone he knew, or cheekily make sure he photo-bombed their pictures. He excelled in his work as a highly skilled Gas Safe engineer and touched the hearts of everyone he met. With him, there was never a dull moment. So how then is it possible that a man like Taran, a man guaranteed to put a big smile on your face, can feel such desperation that life no longer seems worthwhile?

Taran, we understood that you were suffering. We saw that your promising career had become a burden, and that things which meant a lot to you had become full of difficulty. We tried to show you that you were not alone, that you didn’t have to face these struggles by yourself. Perhaps you understood we would listen to your troubles, but for whatever reason, you could not share them with us. We tried and tried to help you connect with someone you could unburden yourself to, but tragically you never found that person. How different your story might have been, if you had.

Because we know there are too many stories like his, we would like to raise awareness and support the work of the remarkable local charities ‘Leeds Mind’ and ‘Andy’s Man Club’. These charities exist to give help to people experiencing difficulties with their mental health, and to families who see a loved one in crisis.

For many of us – and especially young men like Taran – it often feels like the hardest thing in the world is to open up and talk. These charities exist to help us understand that it’s okay to talk about our problems. They make a real difference, especially to those who feel they’ve reached the end of their tether.

In honour of Taran’s memory, we humbly ask you to donate whatever you can to raise awareness and to help those who are there to help.

We do not want to see any other family suffer as we are suffering, or any other son and brother suffer as Taran had suffered. Even helping one life would make all the difference.

Thank you so much for your generosity.