FRIENDS and family of a father-of-one from Penarth who died earlier this year are continuing his legacy by carrying out acts of kindness in his name.
Gareth Jones – known as ‘Gaz’ – died in March this year after struggling with his mental health. He was 45.
Now, in an effort to help others facing similar struggles, his family have set up a random acts of kindness campaign, with the goal of doing something positive for other people.
As part of this, they have set up a Facebook page, named It’s Always Cool to be Kind – a phrase Mr Jones used often – which now has more than 150 members and is filled with stories about random acts of kindness people have seen or carried out themselves.
Sister Becci Matthews said: “Our hope is that we can create something positive in his memory.
“It’s about making a difference – it can be somebody that you may only fleetingly meet in your life, but you can have such a massive impact on another person.”
And, on Saturday, October 29, a group of Mr Jones’ family and friends took on a five-mile ‘Lost Hours’ walk around the town, passing through and past some of his favourite places, including places he lived, parks he played in as a child, and ending in his favourite pub, The Lion.
Mr Jones was father to Taliesin, aged 19, who described their dad as active and cheery, who was very keen on the outdoors and dreamed of hiking in Scotland and Canada. He even spent one New Year’s Day climbing Pen-y-Fan not once, but twice.
The Lost Hours walk is part of a campaign set up by CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably – and the Penarth walk raised more than £1,250 for the charity, with the donation acting as one of the many acts of kindness carried out by the group.
Ms Matthews said she wanted to emphasise the importance of checking in on people.
“As the winter comes in we see people less, we go out less, and in fact the next few months is probably when we need to check in on each other the most,” she said.
She continued her brother was open about his struggles with his mental health, but this is not the case with everyone.
“But maybe he still felt like he had to look like he had it all together,” she said. “I think men do feel that well. As a society we do have those expectations.”
The Facebook page’s logo features a bluebird in honour of Mr Jones’ beloved Cardiff City FC, as well as a silhouette of mountains and a sunset to represent his love for the outdoors.
Ms Matthews said: “We can’t do anything to bring him back. However, if we can stop one other family going through this and one other person thinking that it is the only option, then our work will be done.”
Visit the It’s Always Cool to be Kind Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1942802622588039
Find out more about CALM at thecalmzone.net
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