One in five people will have suicidal thoughts over the course of their lifetime, while one in 15 will attempt suicide, according to leading charity Mind. Andy Beresford, 53, knows first-hand the pain of losing someone special to a mental illness and is determined to make a difference to the statistics.
On March 1 last year, Michelle Beresford tragically took her own life at the age of 39, following a decade-long battle with her mental health. In honour of his beloved wife, Andy is raising £30,000 through numerous challenges and events. He told the Mirror: "Michelle would be really proud and she'd be a driving force behind it.
"This is the type of project she'd love to get behind. I'm hoping that the money we raise for Mind Bristol will help to save someone like her."
Andy, who co-founded his business Home Leisure Direct with Michelle in 2007, has already raised £10,000 after his team took part in Bristol's Tough Mudder and fundraised at the World Darts Championship.
This month, his close colleagues will have a 24-hour Poolathon with Ben Flack, a previous European and World Champion, and do a 10-person, 15,000-ft skydive.
As well as collecting vital funds, Andy wants to spread awareness of mental health problems and how they can appear from the outside.
"Michelle had difficulty with her mental health from 2012, she had a decade of struggling really badly," Andy explained.
"There was two sides to Michelle. In a public situation, she was the life and soul of the party and always laughing, making quick-witted jokes.
"She was the one that would get everyone up dancing and doing shots. Everybody would always say, 'wow, Michelle is so fun'.
"Behind-the-scenes, she was really nervous about social events and wouldn't want to go out. When she did, she'd put on a game face and have a great time.
"But when she'd get home, she'd be exhausted and go into a shell, taking a couple of days to recover from the social engagement."
Near the end of her life, Michelle stopped going out and instead she took up gardening and specialised in growing tomatoes.
"She was a really good tomato grower and optimised her allotment to grow all sorts of varieties. She absolutely would have been the one to go to in this tomato crisis," Andy said.
Andy is reminded of Michelle's beautiful and humorous personality every single day at home and in work.
"Everything reminds me of her - pictures and furniture we bought together and places we've visited together," Andy said.
"I still get emails from people trying to contact her at work, it's a constant reminder.
"The most difficult part has been not having her here to talk to. She'd sit on the other end of the sofa and make comments about what's on TV.
"The world is not the same without her. It's very different and quiet without her sense of humour."
Andy describes his wife of 12 years as "one of the strongest, most amazing people" and said she loved seeing the world and trying new foods.
"Michelle was a real foodie and a great cook, and she loved going to nice restaurants too. She particularly enjoyed Japan and we loved Hawaii," he said.
Michelle was a wife, daughter, sister, aunt and dear friend to so many, but sadly she couldn't overcome her mental health struggles.
"We tried different practitioners, doctors and therapists, and some very advanced work with the NHS, but within six months, she spiralled," Andy said.
"It always crosses my mind, 'Is there something else I could have done?', but I did so many things to try and help her."
Sharing his advice for people who have loved ones that are struggling, Andy said: "Don't beat yourself up because it's not your fault.
"It's very easy for you to think that their poor mental health is because of something you haven't done."
Andy is urging anyone who is experiencing mental health problems to get in touch with Mind - as "they should always be the first point of call".
"This fantastic charity make a huge difference to so many people's lives," Andy said. "That's why we're doing everything we can to raise as much money as possible."
If you would like to donate to Andy's fundraising, you can visit his Just Giving page, give money towards his skydive or get involved with the Poolathon.
Do you have a story to share? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
