Supporters of Peterhead Football Club have raised more than £4,000 for a mental health charity in honour of a player who courageously revealed his battle with depression.
In October, forward David Cox stunned the Scottish footballing community when he openly spoke about self-harming and trying to take his own life.
A firm fan favourite, everybody at the Balmoor club rallied around Mr Cox, 25, and organised the Braveheart run, a sponsored event in aid of Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH).
More than 130 people took part in the fun run on Sunday November 30, raising a total of £4,182.
The money was presented to David Birchall, from SAMH, before Saturday’s Scottish League One clash with Stranraer.
Jo Anderson, director of external affairs at SAMH, said: “It is important for all of us to look after our mental health, and many people use regular physical activity as a way to reduce levels of depression and alleviate stress.
“Events such as the Braveheart Fun Runs are an excellent way to keep fit and set personal targets in a social environment.”
She added: “”We are very grateful to Peterhead Football Club and Peterhead JogScotland for raising vital awareness of mental health and their support for our work.”
Mr Cox, a semi-profesional footballer who has had spells with Kilmarnock, Annan and Montrose, is building up a fitness instructing business outside of his footballing career.
The Braveheart event, held on St Andrews Day, was organised jointly by Peterhead FC Supporters’ Club and JogScotland.
Last night chairman of Peterhead JogScotland Stephen Bruce said: “Although the community wanted to show David their support by taking part, many people took part to show support to family and friends who have also suffered from mental health problems which was really touching.
“We as a club wanted to show David our support, but we also wanted to get the message across about the benefits of keeping active when you have mental health problems.”
SAMH is Scotland’s largest mental health charity, providing services across Scotland and campaigning on mental health issues. Each week SAMH supports more than 2,500 people.