THE closest friends of a young Barrow man have held an event to celebrate his life.

On Saturday an event was held in honour of 27-year-old Will Taylor who died in February.

A video was played during musical performances throughout the evening sharing fond memories of Mr Taylor.

The event was organised by one of his closet friends, 25-year-old Anthony Collins.

“One of my favourite memories with Will would have to be the night I convinced him to come to the cinema to watch a live showing of a musical called ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’. We had no idea what the show was about, but we both really enjoyed it and we had a really nice talk on the walk afterwards - I felt really connected to him that night”, he said.

“The evening went really well - we had so many talented singers, magicians and musicians and it was a fantastic turn out.

“It was brilliant that everyone came together as one to help raise awareness of mental health as it’s really important that people know about it as it’s a serious thing and it shouldn’t be ignored.

So many young people suffer from it and they should feel safe about speaking up about it and to not feel ashamed or embarrassed as there are so many people that can help.”

An inquest found Mr Taylor had been struggling with his mental health and had taken his own life. The event raised £700 for Mind in Furness and SAFA Self-harm Awareness.

If you need support call the Samaritans 24-hour free helpline on 116 123.