A man who found himself spiralling down a dark hole has opened up about his struggles.
Ian Ashcroft has struggled with his mental health since he was a youngster. Comparing himself to those around him, he would often find himself chasing the "perfect" life he thought others had.
But when his dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Ian said he spiralled into a "dark hole". He said: "You see your hero going down in front of you and think what do I do?
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"Doctors told my dad it was his arthritis but he had prostate cancer and it spread, by then it was too late. Within weeks he was being cared for at home and died, that was nine years ago.
"You have to put on your happy face but I was drained, I didn't want to do anything. Getting out of bed was a struggle, I'd have intrusive thoughts that no-one would miss me, why should I bother, but it's your brain.
"My mum was diagnosed with Parkinson's five years ago and if she wasn't here I don't know what would've happened, there was no light at the end. She's my focus now and music has helped me. Music never lets you down."
The 46-year-old found solace through music as he bravely shares his journey in the hopes of helping others. He urges others to not suffer in silence as he pushes against a "mental health stigma".
Ian, from Newton-le-Willows, added: "I've always been emotional and it's nothing to be embarrassed about. I reached out to MIND and they are supporting me now, just reach out to someone, even if it's a friend.
"We only get one life, we need to live it and I'm not going to stop shouting, I'm going to help. I know how hard it can be."
Ian, with the help of his friends Alan Bridge and Gavin Mitchell, and House FM DJ MissRay, will be hosting a "Good Vibes, Good Times" event in the hopes of encouraging others to turn to music for support and raise awareness of mental health.
The graphic designer said the idea first came about when he felt particularly troubled during lockdown and reached out to DJ MissRay to thank her for helping him through music, soon after "Good Vibes, Good Times" was born. The charity event will now be held on January 27 at The Balcony on Newton-Le-Willows High Street as the group share their passion for music and supporting others.
There will be a QR code on the tables in which people can scan and donate to MIND. He said: "Good Vibes Good Times is all about getting people together with music to meet new friends and help with mental health. I just want to make people happy and to stop people getting to the lows and dark places I've been."
With hopes of taking the event further around the UK, Ian added: "Music helped me and it can help others. Music will always be there for you, it tells a story and brings back memories. And we've all gone through it, we know it's hard but reaching out is so important.
"If I can help people through music, that's all I want to do. I was in a dark place and I don't want people to get to that stage."
Ian O’Reilly, Head of Community & Events Fundraising at Mind, said: "We are really grateful to Ian for choosing to support Mind through a DJ night and we wish him well. It continues to be a really challenging time and many of us will be feeling the impact of the pandemic on our mental health and wellbeing, especially for those of us with existing mental health problems.
"One in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year, and it’s so important that no one has to face this alone. Every donation that Mind receives allows us to campaign to improve services and provide information and support.
"This includes through services such as Mind Infoline, legal line and our online peer support community for adults, Side by Side, so we can be there for as many people who need us as possible."
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