A businesswoman is backing a men's mental health charity following the death of her stepfather who set himself on fire.

Olivia Elliott, 28, who runs 3D casting company Everlasting Memories in Rainham, launched a fundraising drive last month to back new charity Dads&Lads Network, which will organise days out for men struggling with mental health.

Olivia explained she wanted to back the charity following her stepfather's suicide, to help prevent more lives being lost.

"I just knew this was something that we definitely needed," she said. "It would have been good if it was around sooner.

"Were just hoping to let people know about it. Men don't often want to go to counselling, but with this you can just go out with a group of lads.

"My stepdad did it in such a horrific way. I haven't properly dealt with it and still pretend he's here.

"It's hard facing the reality - one, that he took his own life and two, he did it in the most horrific way. We didn't know he had any mental health issues."

In an emotional plea in a video on her Facebook page Olivia explained how she felt the new charity will make a difference.

"I really want to get involved and I really want to help as many people as we possibly can, and break the stigma - that men can talk about feelings, they don't have to feel alone and they don't take suicide as an option which is why I'm going to be doing lots of fundraising.

"I do believe that this is something that will help. It's only when you're involved in something like suicide that you realise how many pitfalls there are and that there's no help basically, and it's worrying. I don't want anyone else to feel the way we do. Each day it's a struggle but I'm hoping with this charity we can raise enough money to get that group of people and get it going, and if you know someone that's feeling this way, we'll let you know all the dates of when the days are, and if you can just drag them there, say they're going out with you, let them have one day out with these guys and hopefully it will help them to not feel alone."

She added: "It's only when you realise that 22 men take their own life every day, which is really really shocking. Men are three times more likely than women to take their own life and suicide rose by nearly 11 per cent last year."

By donating to Olivia's fundraising page, contributors are entered into a prize draw with gifts donated by a host of businesses.

Olivia's company also works closely with the charity Forever Finley, which provides bereaved parents with hand and feet castings of their babies.

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