A CHARITY which aims to help people suffering from mental health issues launched in Dunfermline at the weekend.

Tartan Talkers, which is based in Viewfield Terrace, has been formed by local woman Jackie Walls following the tragic death of her beloved nephew Scott Taylor, who died on March 21.

As well as leaving many questions, Jackie said the "savage brutality of suicide had left a gaping wound" in the hearts of those who loved Scott and she has vowed to work to try to ensure other families don't have to go through what they did.

"We are a Scottish-based Male Suicide Awareness Group. Our mission is to save lives," she explained. "We lost my nephew on March 21 this year and we were not really aware that Scott had any mental health issues. He was the life and soul of the party. He hid it well.

"It is brutal. With suicide, there are so many unanswered questions and what ifs. Did we miss something? You don't really get closure. You will never get the answers you are looking for and it is really, really hard.

"You feel men are almost forgotten. Andy's Man Club is remarkable and I just thought more needs to be done. The NHS is on its knees. Organisations are struggling to cope with demand.

"We really need to start encouraging men to start speaking out. It is so important – it is OK to talk. We lost Scott on the 21st and by the 30th, I had an idea in my head."

Having already recruited a committee for the charity and a team of volunteers – as well as the backing of Scottish band The Proclaimers, who have agreed to be patrons – Tartan Talkers is set to launch at an event on Saturday.

"We have lots of volunteers, some from Andy's Man Club, some from the Tartan Army, we have got a Facebook page which we have got 105,000 views on already and it has only been up and running five weeks. It is amazing how quickly people have been saying, 'Can we volunteer?'," said Jackie.

"It is peer-to-peer mentoring. As soon as someone phones the project, we will be signposting them to local agencies. We have 12-week courses for people who really need that support.

"We are going to signpost people and every day until they get a referral, they are going to get a call from us. This lets them know that someone cares enough about them to contact them every day. It is that wee light at the end of the tunnel.

"As a community, we all need to reach out and see how can we support people that are vulnerable, that are in crisis. I think we have all got a part to play so that is literally how it has all originated.

"We have got to start thinking outside the box. When you look at statistics, when someone commits suicide, it impacts 135 people. You have got a family, your own extended family, friends and work colleagues. It is not long in mounting up, it affects a lot of people. It is a brutal, brutal death."

Joining Jackie and Scott's sister Shannon on the committee are Ballingry man Liam Murphy, along with Dunfermline man Jonathan Wilson, who Jackie contacted after reading a story in the Press about research he had carried out on suicide.

Jonathan said giving people the opportunity to speak out could make a "huge" difference while Liam said the service would complement existing organisations offering help.

"This is not to step on anyone's toes. It is signpost," added Liam. "If someone calls up, they will be having mental health problems, or issues with drink, gambling. Whatever it is, that little bit of a crutch to help them and get in front of who you need to get in front of may just be what they need."

The charity also plans to make use of a tartan teddy, named Scooter which was Scott's nickname, to help get messages across to anyone who may be struggling with their mental health.

"It is a heavy subject and I thought this needs to be softer," she added. "He is almost, in a sense, the voice of the Tartan Talkers. He is going to be sending out messages every day. Anything than can help brighten up someone's day.

"We are looking to get football fans on board. We are getting an advert on at Hibs for Tartan Talkers at half-time and we are going to be talking to other football clubs.

"We are also talking about getting benches and having some strategically placed. If someone is feeling a bit down in the dumps, hopefully someone will go and say, 'Are you OK?'. That could be enough to save someone's life."