THE family of a man who struggled silently with mental health issues presented a cheque for more than £7,000 to Swindon Mind yesterday to help the charity and encourage men to openly discuss their problems.

Jason Titcombe from Blunsdon passed away suddenly in April this year.

His nephew Jake Jell set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for Swindon Mind in his memory and urge people with mental health issues, particularly men, to talk about their emotions when they're feeling troubled.

Generous donations from 123 people raised a grand total of £7,750.02, exceeding the original target of £300 by a whopping 2,666 per cent.

Jason’s sister Joanne Clarke said: "We are so overwhelmed by the level of donations and kind messages in homage to our beloved Jason.

"Mental illness is becoming more prevalent in our switched-on society.

"We need to encourage men in particular to open up about their problems and to not feel that they will be judged for doing so.

"Depression is a disease like any other but due to its lack of visibility, it is not easily recognisable even to close family members."

Jake said: "The amount of support has been absolutely fantastic, it's brilliant.

"I never thought we would raise this much, it's astonishing.

"We need to make sure people talk when they need to talk, mental health is just as bad as any physical illness but it's a lot harder to spot."

Lewis Bird from Swindon Mind said: "This donation means the world to us, and it's not just the money but the message that this story brings, the message that it's OK to talk.

"Making the first step to starting that conversation can be a life-saver.

"The money will go very far, it will give our consulting service give more time to help people who need it."

Jason was a director at NKS Contracts Central and was responsible for a large part of the company's development according to his colleague of 19 years Greg Wells.

Greg is preparing to run the London Landmarks Half-Marathon for MIND and the London Marathon for the Mental Health Foundation.

He said: "Jason was a mountain of a man, he was the one person you could always count on to talk to if you needed to speak to somebody.

"He was the guy that everyone wanted to be or be with or be seen with, but nobody had any idea of the issues he was dealing with.

"It's a very very big loss, both as a colleague and as a friend.

"Don't suffer in silence."

Joanne added: "Swindon Mind needs constant resourcing to enable it to provide much needed services to both men and women who, like Jason, find themselves in this downward spiral.

"We sincerely hope that this will help other men who are experiencing similar problems to speak up and seek professional services where necessary.

"We also believe that mental health in general needs to be elevated further up the medical and political agenda.”