A LOVING brother is raising money for a mental health charity in memory of his two brothers who both killed themselves.

Ben Brooks is collecting sponsors for a five-mile obstacle course next month in aid of the charity Mind.

Ben experienced what he called the “one of the toughest days of his life” when he had to bury his oldest brother, John.

John, who served in the military for more than ten years, was 46 when he killed himself. For Ben it was a second tragedy after his brother, Danny, killed himself in 1994.

He said it was an event which sent him “spiralling downhill to the darkest depths” of his life.

He said: “He was a really fun and outgoing lad. He was only 22 when he killed himself.

“He used to tell his friends he was busy so he could take me out camping and he taught me things like how to ride a motorbike.

“I grew up without a father figure so my brothers were that to me.”

For more than 20 years Ben has been dealing Danny’s death, something he believes may not have been possible without the help of Mind.

Ben, 36, of Hay Lane North, Braintree, said: “I have been dealing with my own mental health problems since he died.

“Mind has helped me to open up and talk about what I have been through.”

Now Ben wants to do something to support the charity which helped him.

He is taking on the Tough Mudder race. On his Justgiving page he said: “I have recently experienced one of the toughest days of life. I have had to bury my oldest brother, John. He is the second brother I have lost to suicide.

“I lost my first brother, Danny, to suicide when I was just 13-years-old. His death sent me spiralling downhill to the darkest depths of my life.

“It has taken me the best part of 20 years to overcome the despair I felt after losing him.

“Since my early teens after losing Danny I have struggled with my own mental health which has presented its own challenges over the years.

“Today, thankfully due to the help of my partner Sarah and my two children Chloe and Alfie and the rest of my family and friends I am much stronger and because of them I am refusing to hit the self destruct button again.

“I have made a choice to channel my emotions into something positive. Not just for myself but to help spread awareness and to eventually banish the stigma associated with mental illness.”

Ben added: “I loved them with all my heart and I miss them both immensely.

“I honestly believe that if they had talked to someone about how they were both feeling they would still be here today.”

He said: “This challenge is the kind of thing that John always did.

“He was always trying to challenge himself and he never believed he was good enough.”

To donate visit bit.ly/2tGmObE.