My name is Warren my friend Natalie and I have taken on the challenge of cycling the length of Scotland to raise money and awareness for men’s mental health.

Earlier this year, we lost a close friend to suicide. It was a  reminder of just how many people are silently struggling. We have both seen the impact that mental health can have on the people around us, and I have experienced those struggles personally.

For several years, my own mental health was in a very dark place. There were times when I genuinely didn’t believe there would be a tomorrow for me. I had given up on myself. I stopped believing things could get better, stopped wanting to try new things, and felt trapped in a place I couldn’t see a way out of.

Recently, I reached the point where I felt I couldn’t carry on anymore. Thankfully, the police found me that evening. Had they not, the outcome could have been very different. I will always be grateful that I’m still here today.

Sharing this isn’t easy, but if my story encourages even one person to ask for help or realise they are not alone, then it is worth it.

That is why we’re taking on this challenge. We want to raise money for men’s mental health, but just as importantly, we want to start conversations. Too many people suffer in silence because they feel they can’t speak up or ask for help. We both have personal experience with mental health from different perspectives, and we want people to know that reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Sometimes the people who seem the happiest are carrying the heaviest burdens. Through this challenge, we hope to raise vital funds, increase awareness, and remind people that there is always hope. If our journey helps even one person realise they don’t have to face their struggles alone, every mile we cycle will have been worth it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story. Whether you choose to donate, share our fundraiser, or simply start a conversation about mental health, your support means more than you know.

My name is Natalie, and my friend Warren and I have taken on the challenge of cycling the length of Scotland to raise money and awareness for men’s mental health. Earlier this year, I lost someone I loved very deeply to poor mental health. His name was Ethan.

Ethan touched far more lives than he ever realised, and none more than my own. While Ethan struggled, that was the smallest part of who he was. He was funny, thoughtful, and loved the outdoors, He loved to make people laugh; he had the sharpest wit and the cheekiest smile. He loved his little dog, Dottie, camping with his brother, golfing with his friends, and, most of all, winding me up over complete nonsense.

He left his mark on every corner of my life. Like so many people, Ethan carried things that others couldn’t always see.

But he was so much more than his struggles, and so much more than the way he died. Both Sides of a Smile is named in honour of Ethan’s life, not his death. It’s named to remind us that a smile can hide so much, and that the people who seem the happiest can sometimes be carrying the heaviest things. Through this challenge, we hope to raise money, start conversations, and help even one person realise that they don’t have to struggle alone.