A die-hard Celtic fan is to run a marathon in a full Rangers kit in honour of his cousin who sadly took his own life.
Tony Rice, from Cumbernauld, seemed to have everything together after welcoming his baby son to the world.
But after going through a tough period, the 23-year-old killed himself on July 8 last year.
His family, however, refused to let the tragedy defeat them – and have since set up a support group for people on the brink of suicide.
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“After his death my mum started a group, Tony’s Safe Place, for suicide awareness for people who are in desperate need of help,” his brother, 30-year-old Scott explained.
“We bring in therapists every week to help people immediately rather than spending months on waiting lists.
“The group has been around for about a year, and three of us are even doing counselling course to support people on the verge of killing themselves.”
And now Tony’s cousin, Hoops fan Sean Morgan, is planning to run the Kielder Marathon in Northumberland on October 13 to raise funds and awareness for the group.
The 30-year-old will be dressed head-to-toe in Rangers kit, which has “Tony Rice” specially printed on the back.
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The family have now set up a GoFundMe page for people to sponsor Sean’s efforts, so far raising around £100 to help the therapy group.
Scott says that Tony was “inspiring” to everyone around him – making the death of his “baby brother” even more of a shock.
He said: “Everyone wants Tony back, but the impact that his death has had shows just how much he meant to everyone around him.
“He has saved people’s lives. I’ve stopped drinking after his death.
“Sean was also in a really bad way at the time, he would drink and do drugs but after Tony took his own life he really turned his life around.
“He went to rehab and came out on his feet. It’s really inspiring to see that Tony’s death managed to save a life like this.
“His death took us all out of a bad lifestyle. We all looked up to him, it’s great to see some good coming from his tragic death.”
The family is also planning a memorial day for Tony at Broadwood Stadium.
The tragic dad’s family and friends are meeting for a charity football match in his honour, in a hope to raise even more cash to help vulnerable people.
The event will take place on September 22 and promises to be a “fun-filled day” and “a good party just like Tony loved.”
You can view the GoFundMe page here.
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