'More people open up' after story of lost friends
BBCA woman says "more people have opened up" to her after she shared the story of losing three friends to suicide in a short period.
Tia Davies is hosting a fundraising event on Saturday, which she first organised in 2025, in Halling, Kent for the Sittingbourne mental health charity MenTalk Health.
She told BBC Radio Kent at the time that having three friends who took their own lives had ignited a desire to "make a change" and push for men to open up.
Davies, from Gillingham, said: "I don't want it to happen to anybody else and I know I can't stop that, but if I can get the word out... absolutely incredible."
She has encouraged other charities and organisations to take part in the event, and said friends and family had "chipped in" to make it even bigger the second time round.
"It's not a competition, it's about spreading awareness, spreading any challenge that anyone has and just getting the word out there," she told the BBC.
Men were three times more likely to take their own lives than women, according to ONS data published in 2024.
For Tia, the statistics make raising awareness more important than ever.
She says: "Everybody is beautiful in their own way, life is tough, but so are you, let's keep going because the days not over yet.''
- If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story you can find information and support on BBC Action Line.
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