THE BURDEN of carrying bittersweet memories of a life tragically cut short will be lightened this weekend as friends and family get together to pay tribute with fun and laughter.

Prudhoe resident Richard Robson has organised a charity football match in memory of his brother Gary who died aged just 24.

Richard was just 14 when his big brother took his own life in April 2004.

Richard said: “For me it was a total shock, it was totally out of the blue.

“When I heard, it just didn’t feel real.”

Known to his family and friends as the ‘life and soul of the party,’ Gary had hidden his pain behind a mask of smiles.

Just a few weeks before the tragedy, the family had enjoyed a holiday to Saltburn with Gary enjoying football on the beach with parents John and Ann, Richard and sister Kathryn (28).

Protected by his family and too young to fully understand, Richard, now 25, grew up never really knowing what had happened to his fun-loving brother.

He said: “Everyone knew him; he was popular and the life and soul of the party.

“He wanted to please everybody and he was so kind.

“Every time I saw him he seemed happy but behind that he was obviously suffering.

“It’s impossible to ever really know what he was going through but as the years have gone by I feel I have a clearer understanding.”

So, determined to prevent history from repeating itself, Richard, shift manager at the One Stop Shop in Prudhoe, is raising funds and awareness for mental health charity, Mind.

The fund-raising football match at Prudhoe Community High School tomorrow morning will see 18 of Gary’s closest friends and family come together for the first time since the funeral 11 years ago.

Richard said: “It will be nice to get everybody together for something fun – even mum is going to get her boots on.

“It’s a positive way of keeping his name alive. And if I had had more awareness at the time, maybe I could have helped him.

“That’s why I want to support Mind, to raise awareness and prevent anyone from finding themselves in my brother’s position.”

To reach his £550 target for the charity, Richard is also participating in the Great North Run and has organised a series of activities at the One Stop Shop raising funds for Mind and Macmillan Cancer Support.