A WOMAN who is raising awareness of mental health issues following her father’s death has been nominated for a Pride of Gwent Award.

Charity Champion Award nominee Georgina Titley said she was shocked when she found out about the nomination which was put forward by her sister Adrienne Titley. Miss Titley and her family, who live in Caldicot, have dealt with the death of her father Paul who committed suicide in 2015.

“It was and still is difficult. He was my biggest support, he was my rock and I went to him about everything.

“He was the one who was there no matter what.”

She said there were no signs her father was going to take his own life, and said she has often relived the days before his death. The 28-year-old said she now wants to encourage people to talk about mental health and hopes that her work can help stop more families going through the same anguish.

“Men don’t have the support they need or feel they can openly talk about their feelings. One of the hardest parts is breaking that stigma and making men feel it’s ok to talk.

“Dad never talked about his feelings, he was a closed book and clearly a good actor because nobody realised how he was really feeling.”

According to The Samaritans the highest suicide rate in the UK is for men aged 45 to 49. Men are three times more likely to take their own lives than women.

Despite having had serious knee surgery Miss Titley took part in the Cardiff Mo Running event and raised £630 towards improving mental health and reducing the rate of male suicide.

She has also created the Facebook page ‘In Loving Memory of Paul Andrew Titley’ to help raise awareness of mental health issues. She also says she thinks we need to change the way think about mental health. “I think the government needs to bring mental health into education. We should be able to talk about it and know that it’s as important as physical health. Then people will know that they are not an outcast because they feel that way.”

There is still time for readers to submit their nominations for the Pride of Gwent Awards, which contain the following categories:

  • 999 hero Award
  • Charity Champion Award
  • Life Saver Award
  • Special Recognition Award
  • Community Hero Award
  • Courage Award Award
  • Achiever Award
  • Good Samaritan Award
  • Volunteer Award
  • Carer Award
  • Local Hero Award
  • Environment Award
  • Lifetime Achievement Award

To nominate someone for an award fill in the form here. 

The closing date for nominations is January 27. with a judging panel picking winners in February followed by a ceremony in March at the Coldra Court Hotel by Celtic Manor.