People who have taken their own lives in Dundee are to be remembered during a walk on the Tay Bridge this weekend.
The Tay Road Bridge event has been organised by city-based mental health charity Walk and Blether in a bid to raise awareness of suicide and to work towards prevention.
On Sunday, a small group of walkers will walk the bridge between Dundee and Fife as many times as possible in four hours.
Group member Valerie Roberts said: “Our aim is to raise awareness of suicide and to remember each of those who lost their lives to suicide in Dundee this year.
“During 2020, up until November, 69 people in Dundee committed suicide – that’s 69 people too many.
“Of those 69 78% were men. Too many people die from suicide each year so want to get the message out there that there is never a problem only a solution.
“We want to let people know that there are groups and organisations they can turn to that can and will help.
“There were 69 too many suicide deaths in Dundee last year and we want to do what we can to try to ensure that there are no suicide deaths in the city in 2021.”
The initial plan had been to include a lot of people, including families of people who have died, and cross the bridge 69 times to mark each of the lives lost.
But coronavirus restriction have meant this was not possible and plans have been rearranged so the walk can still go ahead.
Valerie added: “Suicide hasn’t stopped just because of Covid-19 so we decided why should we stop.”
Eight people from two families will now complete the walk in groups of four, starting from either side of the bridge.
“We will be walking in line with restrictions and regulations but our plan is to walk as far as we can,” Valerie said.
“But rather than getting 69 crossings of the bridge we hope to be able to light 69 candles in memory of those who have died when we are at the Newport end of the bridge.”
Valerie said that walkers would also be raising money for mental health charities with £270 of their target of £500 raised already.
Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/valerie-lindsay-2