Mikeysline will offer text support and will be staffed by volunteers

A new charity has launched in memory of two young friends who took their lives within days of each other.

Mikey Williamson and Martin Shaw from Inverness were both 23 when they were found dead within days of each other in October.

Family and friends believe both men took their own lives and have now created Mikeysline to offer support for young people at risk of suicide or who may be having sucidal thoughts.

The charity says that in the age of social media, there are still young people feeling alone and abandoned by the system, unable to reach out for help and reassurance and unable to express their feelings.

It wants to combat this by offering multimedia support to those at risk initially by offering text message support from a team of volunteers.

Jamie-Lyn McBride, a friend of the two men, said: "There is not enough support in the north of Scotland for young people contemplating suicide, or who just don't know how to cope with how they are feeling."

Mikey’s uncle, Ron Williamson, said it was important for young men to realise they are not alone.

"The people who think they are alone don't know that the person standing next to them in the supermarket queue, or the girl in the corner desk, or the guy in the pub cracking the jokes are also suffering,” he said.

"By getting this out there, people their own age can talk to them."

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