Man who took own life is inspiring charity
A MAN from Southport who was just 22 when he took his own life is the inspiration for a charity which is now helping others in similar situations.
Joe Johnson suffered with depression before taking his own life in 2017.
Joe’s best friend Alex ‘Fitz’ Fitzgerald said: “There aren’t enough words to describe Joe. He was amazing. He just had this aura around him and you would know when he was in the room. It wasn’t that he was loud or anything, you just knew he was there.
“We did free running together as well, like jumping off buildings and over walls. Most kids were into football but we were different. It was never competitive either. When someone would ask him who was better, he would always say me, and when someone asked me I would always say him.”
Fitz is the founder of a charity called Joe’s Giant’s, in memory of
Joe. The charity aims to raise awareness of mental health and also aims to use outdoor activities to improve people’s mental health.
Fitz said: “When it happened, I can’t describe how I felt. I just shut myself off from everything, I left the army because I just wanted to go home.
“I made sure I went and saw Joe’s mum and made an effort but I felt like I needed to do more so I set up the charity.
“We now help people who maybe don’t feel comfortable around other people at first and then become more comfortable”.
The charity, which is only a year old, has already started taking people on walks to the Lake District and to Snowdonia.
Fitz does this alongside his job as a labourer. Fitz was enrolled in the armed services as a vehicle mechanic but felt the need to return to his hometown after the death.
He said: “I actually got into mechanics because of Joe.
“We used to ride motorbikes together and we always wanted to change them and make them faster so we messed around with them. I then went on to do a three year course.
“I always wanted to join the army and had a passion for mechanics so I combined the two and joined the army as a vehicle mechanic.”
Fitz has been running the charity alongside his friend and outdoor activity instructor, Billy McKeon, 26.
The pair aim to take the charity on further and create their own outdoor retreat for people suffering with poor mental health and those battling addiction.
He said: “We want to go on to create a retreat where people can come to us for outdoor activities.”