Losing family and friends to cancer and suicide inspires man to help others in their memory

A big-hearted Lanarkshire man has raised thousands of pounds for charity in the name of his beloved grandparents.

Ben Balgowan, 23, set up The Carswell Foundation last March as a tribute to John and Sheila Carswell who sadly lost their battle with cancer within a year of one another.

Keen to keep their memory alive and continue the kind charitable work they did for their parish at St Mary’s in Motherwell, Ben began fundraising for various charities in and around his hometown of East Kilbride.

losing family and friends to cancer and suicide inspires man to help others in their memory

Ben raised awareness of mental health with fellow fundraisers at last year’s Glasgow Men’s 10k

The foundation also acknowledges the loss of one of Ben’s close friends, 22-year-old Ross McPherson, who sadly took his own life in August, 2022.

In honouring their memory, Ben hopes to raise money and awareness for others in need.

Ben told Lanarkshire Live: “I started the foundation in March last year and have so far raised over £9000.

“I started it because within 12 months my gran and papa both passed away from cancer and one of my friends passed away due to suicide.

“I just wanted to try and create something for them and try and raise money in their memory.

losing family and friends to cancer and suicide inspires man to help others in their memory

Ross passed away suddenly on Sunday, August 7, 2022

“Losing Ross was tough, I’d just come back from a holiday of a lifetime in Ibiza with him when he passed away just a week later so it hit people really hard.

“I do a DJ night in his memory called the Rave for Ross and hold a mental health football tournament in Motherwell where my gran and papa were from which is also a town hit quite bad by tragedy.

“I’m planning to put on four or five events each year to fundraise and raise awareness of different issues affecting people in the area.”

losing family and friends to cancer and suicide inspires man to help others in their memory

Ross’ friends descended on Paisley for the fundraiser

The Carswell Foundation reaches many different corners of the community in a bid to touch as many people as possible.

Events vary from gathering a group to run the Glasgow Men’s 10k, running a football tournament, hosting a DJ night, organising a football player speakers dinner, to a toy drive donation following a winter climb of Ben Nevis.

losing family and friends to cancer and suicide inspires man to help others in their memory

Ben at the top of Ben Nevis with members of EK Fight Gym

In its first calendar year The Carswell Foundation has received a parliamentary motion for its merits and raised a massive £9269.50 for several different charities, namely: East Kilbride-based mental health charity Adored SCIO and Chris’s House in North Lanarkshire, The Beatson Cancer Charity and East Kilbride community group Share Alike.

The foundation is looking to reach out even further this year and raise more money with a variety of different fundraisers again in 2024.

losing family and friends to cancer and suicide inspires man to help others in their memory

Share Alike benefitted from cash and toy donations thanks to the Carswell Foundation

Former Duncanrig pupil Ben, a CNC engineer, added: “The next event I’m going to try and do is the Three Peaks Challenge in April. I have around 15 people signed up so far to try and raise money for The Beatson Cancer Charity.

“I want to keep pushing and trying to do more and do different things to involve more people and get a bigger reach depending on what they’re interested in.

losing family and friends to cancer and suicide inspires man to help others in their memory

Ben Balgowan set up the Carswell Foundation in memory of lost family and friends and aims to raise money and awareness for those in need

“My gran and papa were an inspiration to me because they were heavily involved in the church and did a lot of charity work. I saw this growing up and wanted to keep doing what they were doing for others and for them.

“I’m especially passionate about raising money for the Beatson as my parents both had cancer while my grandparents were going through it too. They’re okay now but it was obviously bad timing so the charity means a lot to me.”

If you would like to get involved, donate or need advice on starting your own fundraiser, you can contact Ben on Facebook and Instagram under The Carswell Foundation.

If you are struggling and need help and support there are a number of organisations who can be contacted.

■ Samaritans are on 116 123 (24hr) or email [email protected] – calls are free and confidential.

■ Breathing Space 0800 83 85 87 (6pm – 2am daily and 24 hours weekends) is a free, confidential service for anyone experiencing low mood or depression.

■ For help and support for your mental health, speak to your GP or if out of hours, call NHS 24 on 111.

■ Lanarkshire Suicide Prevention App – search for SP Lanarkshire with your App store provider.

■ ChildLine 0800 1111 – a free 24-hour helpline for children and young people in the UK.

■ HopeLine UK (0800 24 20 24) is a free service for children and young people under the age of 35 who are experiencing thoughts of suicide and for anyone concerned that a young person could be thinking about suicide.

■ For more focused support see www.elament.org.uk

And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.

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