Dear ollie

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

I'm in, had issues of my own with mental health, always said I could deal with any disease or physical ailments but to deal with the your head when it's gone "pop" is so very difficult and to understand and in all honesty, admit your ill.

That is very true sir, I’m currently dealing with some mental
Health issues of my own, and it’s one of those things you don’t fully understand until it gets you, you don’t understand how low you might feel, and people can’t just ‘snap out of it’. My partner struggled with it a while back and I couldn’t understand and thought if it ever came for me, I would be able to handle it. I’m in touch with a therapist, and I’m seeing slow signs of progress, but at least it’s progress. I hope you’re feeling well now.
UTMM

I'm in, a great idea. It must have been very difficult for Ollie last night, top man.

Quoted from TheultimateMariner

That is very true sir, I’m currently dealing with some mental
Health issues of my own, and it’s one of those things you don’t fully understand until it gets you, you don’t understand how low you might feel, and people can’t just ‘snap out of it’. My partner struggled with it a while back and I couldn’t understand and thought if it ever came for me, I would be able to handle it. I’m in touch with a therapist, and I’m seeing slow signs of progress, but at least it’s progress. I hope you’re feeling well now.
UTMM

Good to hear you're on the mend, too true what you say, nobody sees it coming and it seems to sneak up on you with no symptoms until all of a sudden you're in a very dark place.
I have good and bad days, think the thing that gets me through now is knowing it won't last forever and understanding you can't "just snap out of it", ride the storm and enjoy the calmer tides, as they say.

Quoted from Les Brechin

Rather than a Just Giving page, who take a percentage of what's donated how about a payment into one person and then we can set a deadline for donations and at the closing date make a presentation of the amount raised to Ollie.

I have run the buster for a number of years now and handled thousands of pounds of fishy posters money so I would be willing to be the one to accept the donations if you wanted.

I could then keep people up to date with a running total of money raised.

Just an idea.

While that sounds an excellent idea Les, would it be a viable option if this initial fundraising idea went beyond 'thefishy'? Im not savvy as to how you take payments, but maybe having some sort of website/webpage where a link can be made for everyone to visit and donate would be a more accessible option?

Quoted from WayneBurnettsJockstrap

How about we, here at Fishy, show some support to 'our' Ollie, and raise a bit of money for him to give to charity for suicide prevention or mental health causes? Show him we care about him. Its never a good place to be in when someone so close chooses to take their life.

Well said. I like what other celebrities eg  Tyson Fury have been doing for this cause as well. He  came close to suicide as people may know. It was his children that kept him going. Its nice to see him come out the other side though. Just a shame what happened to some big people in football eg Gary Speed, Robert Enke and Justin Fashanu  .

All suicide victims are such a tragic waste of life.

RIP all of them.

Ive always felt no matter how bad things get never give up hope.

Quoted from WayneBurnettsJockstrap

While that sounds an excellent idea Les, would it be a viable option if this initial fundraising idea went beyond 'thefishy'? Im not savvy as to how you take payments, but maybe having some sort of website/webpage where a link can be made for everyone to visit and donate would be a more accessible option?

Les’s credentials and trust ability is beyond reproach as has been demonstrated countless times. My main issue is as you say if this goes beyond the fishy and more wider to the fan base. I think a just giving page would be better purely for that reason.

From someone who has tried take their own life and received fantastic support from the fishy Chris MacKenzie being the main one  I know how the poor man must have felt.

Sadly all the love in the world goes out of your mind when you are in such a dark place.

Tablets help but the love of your family and friends hopefully stop you going into the black hole again.

There is no guarantee anything works but talking about your problems before things go too far does help.

My love and thoughts go out to his family and hi s friends with Ollie being badly effected by his loss.

Quoted from Mikey_345

Les’s credentials and trust ability is beyond reproach as has been demonstrated countless times. My main issue is as you say if this goes beyond the fishy and more wider to the fan base. I think a just giving page would be better purely for that reason.

I dont doubt Les's credentials in the slightest, as he has been the go to money man long before I joined Fishy.

I have had a look at alternative donation sites and some dont take a penny from any donation, but do charge the donator a small 20p/25p fee on their card payment. On many you can also claim Gift Aid, so if a £10 danation was given, gift aiding it would take it up to £12.50, and only for a further 25p to you.

Quoted from Les Brechin

Rather than a Just Giving page, who take a percentage of what's donated how about a payment into one person and then we can set a deadline for donations and at the closing date make a presentation of the amount raised to Ollie.

I have run the buster for a number of years now and handled thousands of pounds of fishy posters money so I would be willing to be the one to accept the donations if you wanted.

I could then keep people up to date with a running total of money raised.

Just an idea.

Let us know how to send you the money Les and we’ll get started. Given the demographic of a lot of us on this site, sadly quite a few of us will have mates who have killed themselves. I think I’m right in saying that suicide is at its highest amongst blokes of a certain age and is also at its highest for a long time - you might almost say it’s an epidemic. It would be a good opportunity for us to show support for Ollie and do a bit of good at the same time.

I dont normally talk about my struggles, but having read others posts, I have the impetus to open up. Its good to see others being open also.

I think many people, me included, have been to a very dark place in their lives at some point, through no fault of their own.

I thought I was coping, coping very well with my problems until one morning about 3am my wife woke to find me getting dressed, and on asking what I was doing, I told her I was going to drive my car into a wall. I have no recollection of that moment.

That morning, with my wife holding my hand while I was sat there crying, I phoned my Doctors and that is when I started on my long, dark, lonely, scary road to recovery.

I hate to think what would have happened if my wife hadnt woke up as I was sat on the edge of the bed. She has been my rock now for years.