Sadly three weeks ago my step dad passed away through suicide. Martin had been suffering with serious mental illness for decades and unfortunately on 07.02.17 Martin took his own life.

Martin had been hospitalised in St Martin's Psychiatric Hospital in Canterbury on a few occassions throughout the last 15 years. I myself also have mental health problems and have been admitted to St Martin's on numerous occasions.

Therefore, for this reason, my family would like to try and raise money for 'Friends For Mental Health - East Kent'. This charity are a small charity made up of volunteers who go onto the wards providing activities for patients including art sessions and hand massage therapy. The activities that the volunteers run allow patients to experience as much normality as they can on an acute inpatient ward, whilst benefitting therapeutically from the activities.

The charity also work with family and carers of patients allowing them to express their feelings in a non-judgmental environment.

I am asking people to kindly donate money for this cause; it can be as much or as little as you like! Really the main aim is to make Martin proud because the staff at St Martin'shospital have saved Martin's life in the past and more recently have saved my own life. Therefore, donations from on here and at Martin's funeral could not go to a better cause.

Thank you for reading,

Jade