The family of an 18-year-old man who took his own life are asking for support to take on a 24-hour boxathon at a boxing gym in Altrincham.
Dave Thompson and Will Thompson want to raise awareness for Mentell, a mental health charity for men, with the challenge at Bells Gym.
Dave and Will are the dad and brother of George Thompson, an 18-year-old man who took his own life around two years ago after struggles he referred to as 'thunderstorms'.
The builder, who loved boxing, MMA and Stockport County, first said he needed support when he was 10 in the build-up to his SATs exams.
His dad struggled with 'thunderstorms' of his own after his death but was told he would wait for up to 12 weeks for counselling on the NHS.
Dave said: "I don't know what I would've done in those eight to 12 weeks.
"I always said I would never do anything, like the ultimate, I would never do what George did because that's not fair on [wife] Caroline and Will.
"It was a constant battering rod hitting me, battering me down and down and down.
"In the end a Stockport County fan – a friend of mine – recommended Mentell."
Mentell operates in the form of 'circles' in Chester, Congleton, Crewe, Hyde, Macclesfield, Wilmslow and the Edgeley Park home of Stockport County.
Men talk about what is on their minds or listen to others do the same and afterwards an email is sent to them asking if they want a seat for the next time.
The family of George are asking for support to take on a 24-hour boxathon to raise awareness for the charity.
Specifically, they need supporters to help them towards a total of more than 5,000 minutes of boxing on the day.
Dave said: "They can be any age, they can come and do one round or 10 rounds. It all counts towards the total.
"We want people to come along who have no boxing experience. It doesn't matter. Whatever level of boxing experience you’ve got, come along.
"Someone said to me, 'Is it the hardest thing you’ll ever do?'
"No, living without a son is the hardest thing you’ll ever do. This is a walk in the park."
The 24-hour boxathon starts at Bells Gym on Sunday.
To donate go to justgiving.com/page/24hourboxathon.
This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.
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