DOZENS of people pounded the streets of Barrhead to raise awareness of mental health issues.

The Lean on Me Candlelit Walk took place on Saturday evening for the second time since the cause was started up last August.

The initiative was started up by the family of Barrhead man Anthony Quinn, who died suddenly in his sleep in October 2017 at the age of 30. 

Anthony suffered greatly with mental health problems throughout his whole adult life, and so his family were determined to raise awareness in his memory.

Frances Quinn, Anthony’s sister, said the march is continuing to be a success and attracted new faces this time around.

She said: “It was really good. The first time we had a lot of family and friends on the march but this time there was a lot of people involved who we didn’t know.

“It shows we are getting known about which is great because there isn’t enough awareness.

“We had Tom Arthur join us. It is great to have his support because we’d like to see some changes pushed through the Scottish Parliament in the future.

“We had a lot of people messaging us asking what the march was all about and lots joined us along the way.

“Thank you to Andy Dunlop, Barrhead BID manager, for yet again ensuring the procession took place and to Police Scotland for looking after the safety of all attendees.”

The Quinn family have a lot of ambitions for the future of the Lean on Me movement, including the aim of one day making it a charity.

A Lean on Me cafe has also been set up inside the Cafe on the Corner, attached to Catherine Rose cake shop, in association with Recovery Across Mental Health, to give those who feel they need to speak to someone a place to go. 

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