A SELFLESS Auchinleck man needs help to keep saving and changing lives across Scotland.

Robbie Muir, 30, was inundated with messages when he set up Release Ayrshire, a support group on Facebook, after noticing a spike in male suicides in the his local area.

The page wants to scrap the stigma around men’s struggle with mental health and gives them a safe space to talk things though.

Now the page needs more volunteers and funding to grow and help even more people.

Robbie recruited volunteers to help answer messages which have come from all over Scotland, not just Ayrshire.

They recently became a non-profit organisation and have applied for funding to get more training for the volunteers.

It’s a first step towards getting more professional help and lets people know they are never alone.

Robbie said: “I wanted to give men a space to chat out how they were feeling and help break the stigma around men talking about their mental health.

“It isn’t a counselling service, we can direct people to those kind of sites if it’s appropriate, we are more of a support group where people can have a chat and talk things out.

“It’s really just a place for people to make that first step, which can be vital.

“We are totally confidential so everything stays between you and the volunteer.

“Since starting we have became an official non profit organisation and have applied for funding to get more people helping the page.

“We have also been approached by schools to come talk to kids about how they are feeling.

“Now we just want people to know we exist and that there is always someone for them to talk to if things get quite tough.

”Someone will always get back within about an hour.

“Also if you start chatting to someone on the site you stick with them, it doesn’t change about.

“We really need more volunteers to keep the page going and funding to really help it take off.

“It isn’t just for guys either even though it started out that way, we would never turn away someone who needs help.”

Suicide is currently the single biggest killer in men under 45 in the UK.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123.

See page 3 for other contact details.