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A heartbroken mum and her family are getting set to launch a mental health charity after her daughter took her own life aged 20.

Megan Copeland had been battling demons for seven years, and now after her suicide a fortnight ago her family are looking to launch Megan’s Space.

The initiative will be aimed at helping people in a similar position to Megan and her mum Jenny, from Irvine, hopes to save lives with the help they want to offer.

Speaking to the Irvine Herald, Jenny said: “She was a mental health student who had mental health issues since she was 13.

“She attempted to end her life a number of times through those seven years.

“Her story is a bit like an enduring episode of something on the TV, trying to work out what was the underlying cause for her issues.

“She accessed pretty much every service within the NHS, she was heavily supported.

“There is no doubt that there is something to be learned from her problems and how that can help others out.

“That’s really what Megan’s Space is about, that’s what one of the purposes will be all about.”

Jenny added: “She was a very high achiever academically, she was a very pretty girl.

“Anyone who knew her would say that she was very bubbly and happy.

“She was very loving, when you spoke to her she would make you feel very special.

“But behind all of that was her battle, her challenges and her demons.

“Most people didn’t know about it, because she hid it so well.

“We knew about it, but we were unfortunately unable to help her.”

Megan, who was a third year student at UWS, has now inspired her family to help others in any way they can.

Jenny said: “My husband and I were becoming quite challenged around understanding the terminology around it all.

“A lot of it was really difficult for us to understand, because we are not mental health professionals.

“We were very fortunate to get a meeting with her psychiatrist, and we explored what was her objective, why did she feel the way she did, what were we doing that was helpful or unhelpful.

“On the back of that meeting we all walked away with a sense of understanding, learning, acceptance and we all wanted to work hard to keep her alive.

“But I kind of felt it was a case of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ it was going to happen.

“So the conversation shifted from ‘she is going to kill herself’ to that we have to learn to be in a state of acceptance if it did happen.”

Jenny added: “I couldn’t save my baby, so I just thought with this Megan’s space that I could save someone else.

“My mum took her own life 40 years ago, so for 40 years I have been trying to understand why people take their lives.

“For me the frustration is that the investment into research and services around mental health compared to cancer is like chalk and cheese.

“Initially Megan’s Space was aimed at people like Megan who could be supported in a really respectful way.

“At first I thought even if it was just a table at a cafe and it was called ‘Megan’s Table’ and someone could sit there if they needed a chat.

“We need to find the reasons why it’s all happening, and hopefully begin to address the issues.”

A fundraiser towards helping Megan’s Space has been set up by her brother Gary and the rest of the family, which has raised over £14,000 already.

To donate to the Just Giving page, click here.