Mark Topham was a 'big tough lad'.
A boxer, a weight-lifter and an electrician, the dad-of-two was well-known and well-liked around his home town of Littleborough in Rochdale.
But like many men the 36-year-old struggled to talk about his emotions.
Even his closest friends and family say they only ever got a 'glimpse' of his struggles with mental health.
On Tuesday, November 26, Mark, the eldest of four siblings, took his own life.
His death sent shockwaves through family, friends and the close-knit community.
"Mark would never open up fully," his younger brother Chris, 32, said.
"We knew of his struggles, but not to the full extent.
"It's almost like he would have a bit of a giggle about it, so you could never fully pick it up.
"But every so often you'd get a glimpse of what he was going through."
Mike Topham, 34, believes his big brother struggled to show his feelings 'in a conventional manner'.
"He was a character - a stereotypical big, strong macho man," he said.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't want to paint him as a saint, because he could make a nuisance of himself, but he was the most loyal man I know.
"He was always called 'Big Dog' and he was the most confident man in the world. He would walk into a room and light it up with his smile.
"But he had some problems.
"He only ever opened up to those closest to him.
"You saw he had a dark side and he had his demons and struggles.
"But he couldn't show his emotions - even with his kids.
"There's no doubt he loved those little lads to the end of the world, but he couldn't show that emotion in a conventional manner.
"After he died one of his friends posted on Facebook 'Who's going to come pull my beard and hit me in the balls now?'
"And that's exactly how he showed his affection.
"That was his way of expressing himself."
The awareness and discussion around mental health is now arguably more prominent than ever before.
But suicide remains the biggest single killer of men under 45 in the UK.
Last year a Samaritans study found that men in the UK are three times as likely to take their own lives as women.
But Mike says it's unlikely his brother would have ever sought help or counselling from a conventional source.
And that's where Mark's childhood pal and former sparring partner, Mark Oldham, owner of Littleborough Amateur Boxing Club, comes in.
Mike says he has known four men in Littleborough, a town of around 12,000 people, who have taken their own lives in the last few years.
And now he wants to do something about it while also paying paying tribute to the memory of his mate.
On Thursday, December 19, six days after Mark's funeral, he's launching a weekly boxing club aimed at encouraging men battling depression, anxiety or other mental health issues to open up and talk about their problems.
He said: "Mark was a big, tough lad.
"Having shared a boxing ring with him and wearing a crooked nose from our Sunday sparring sessions, I know from first hand experience just how tough he was.
"But a really nice lad, he was caring, loved his family and close friends, was a laugh a minute and certainly had his own way of doing things.
"Suicide is the single biggest killer of young men - we know there's a problem and we need to do something about it.
"You'd think in a boxing gym the lads wouldn't talk about stuff, but it's quite the opposite - we talk all the time.
"But with this the boxing is almost an excuse - an excuse to yourself - to come along to the gym.
"It's like you can kid yourself you're just going to hit some bags."
Mike hopes the club will reach men like his brother who might be struggling with the 'taboo' around mental health.
He said: "We talked about donating money to Andy's Man Club or a similar charity, and don't get me wrong they're brilliant and they do some fantastic work, but there's no way Mark would have gone somewhere like that and just poured his heart out.
"You wouldn't even have got him through the door.
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"But he wouldn't think twice about going to a boxing gym, sparring and then having a 10 minute chat at the end.
"Mental health and depression is still taboo, especially men's mental health.
"And we've lost that kind of culture of pub tap rooms, men going for a pint after work and just talking about stuff.
"That's where the boxing gym comes in.
"It can fill that gap.
"If we can help one family to not feel as awful as we feel now, then some good will have come out of it."
The boxing sessions will take place from 7.30-8.30pm every Thursday.
For more details visit Littleborough Amateur Boxing Club on Facebook or call 01706 373062.
