In 2015, 75% of all UK suicides were male. Our dear friend Brendan was one of them. He was a wonderful husband, father, son and brother - and an amazing friend to so many. 

Back then none of us really knew much about male depression. We avoided uncomfortable conversations and did our best to keep things light and upbeat, the way things always were with Brendan. We believed it was just a hard period and he'd move out of it, so we gave him our friendship, along with plenty of space and assumed he'd talk about it if he wanted to. 

If only back then any of us had heard about the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) which helps males suffering from depression.  If only we'd properly understood the warning signs and knew what kind of conversations Brendan needed to be having. 

We'll never get Brendan back. And that hurts so much. 

What we can do is raise awareness about male depression and the incredible work CALM is doing to save the lives of other fathers / sons / brothers / uncles / friends and colleagues. We owe it to Brendan and to every male who ever has and ever will suffer from depression. 

On 15 July a gang of  "Brendan's Badgers" are again running the British 10K across the streets of London to raise money for the CALM charity. 

Their work

• Offering support to men in the UK, of any age, who are down or in crisis via a helpline, webchat and website
• Challenging a culture that prevents men seeking help when they need it, through CALMzine and campaigns such as #ManDictionary and #BiggerIssues
• Pushing for changes in policy and practice so that suicide is better prevented, via partnerships such as The Alliance of Suicide Prevention Charities (TASC), the National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA)
• Supporting those bereaved by suicide, through the Suicide After Support Partnership (SASP), hosted by CALM, which aims to ensure that everyone bereaved or affected by suicide is offered and receives timely and appropriate support

If you've read this far I hope you'll take the next step and hit the donate button. Any amount  - it all adds up. Thank you for your wonderful support.