An Edinburgh teen is dedicating a charity trek to his tragic step mum who sadly took her own life due to mental health issues.
Ronan Ratcliffe, 17, is planning to take on 40 Munros in memory of his dad's partner, Nikki, after she passed away during lockdown.
His dad Nigel also has his own mental health battles and was "devastated" to lose his partner.
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The Leith youngster who goes to Trinity Academy explained that his dad was diagnosed with lung and bowel cancer which he received treatment for over several years.
As a child he thought that was the only thing wrong with his dad but slowly realised there was a lot more to it as he grew older.
While spending a lot of time in hospital Nigel met Nikki his girlfriend who was also in getting treatment, Ronan described her as his "rock."
He said: "Little did my Dad know at the time this would be the start of a journey; as they got to know each other better, they built up a strong relationship and began to love each other.
"They took trips to Paris together, as well as often walking around the botanics in Edinburgh and enjoying time just being together. She was a rock to my dad over the years, and the same for her too."
Unfortunately during the pandemic Nikki began to struggle again and made the decision to move home to improve her mental health.
Ronan explained: "In October of 2020, my dad’s girlfriend Nikki moved back to Glasgow after 13 years in the hope that it would solve the problems she was dealing with. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case, and we sadly lost her to suicide in March of last year."
"This was devastating for me to hear, but especially for my Dad.
"With such terrible news, and then the second lockdown, my dad faced a massive setback and has been struggling over the past year."
After dealing with mental health issues and the impact it can have the teen is now more aware, he explained: "I’m aware that being 17 myself, I’ve not experienced an awful lot in my life.
"However, as I’ve gotten older, I really have noticed some things.
"One of those being that no one is truly okay. Whether it be the stress of exams, the anxiety of leaving the house after Covid, or the depression felt after losing a loved one.
"Everyone’s going through something, and we all need to deal with it in our own ways."
Speaking to the Record Ronan said: "His battles really took a toll on him and our family, it took away the father-son bond from us.
"I have never stayed with him and I don't get to see him an awful lot, it has always been the case.
"It has affected not only him but me and my whole family, too.
"When I was younger and in primary school, I didn't really understand fully what was going on with dad.
"It wasn't until high school when I started to realise. It was difficult to come to terms with because so much of dad's life had already been taken away by his struggles - he'd missed out on so much of my childhood."
The teenager hopes that his hike will encourage people to take priority for their mental health and has urged the public to be proactive when you feel like you need help.
He said: "It's been really difficult for me and I really want to spread awareness about mental health and urge people to prioritise it - especially men.
"With guys, we are often told to man up and so we bottle things and keep problems to ourselves.
"Although that stigma is being broken, we still struggle to speak up about what is going on in our heads and so we try to deal with things ourselves.
"I really want people who are reading this to speak about your problems instead of keeping them to yourself."
"I can do this challenge with a lot of mental fortune to push me on, but not everybody has that. It will be good for me physically, but it will also keep my mind in check, too."
The teen continued: "So, I hope I can spread around a message and help people who are going through similar situations by reading this.
"For anyone who is thinking about taking their own life, or for anyone who feels stuck at a mental blockage, go and speak to a friend, a family member, a stranger on the street – anybody. It’s as simple as that.
"The same goes for anyone who isn’t in need of help, ask the people you love how they are, make sure they’re genuinely okay and keep them close."
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Ronan will embark on the monumental journey for charity on May 30.
During his pursuit, the teenager will wild camp for the first half of the journey and sleep in Bothies - for the second half, he will take on 40 munros and travel 140 miles
The 17-year-old aims to start the walk on the May 30 and be finished around the 7 of June, you can donate to Ronan's fundraiser by visiting here.
You can seek help by contacting Samaritans 24/7 free on 116 123 or by visiting Samaritans.org.
