A SUICIDE support charity set up after the death of a Stroud artist will be the focus of council fundraising for the next year.

Stroud District Council has chosen Sunflowers Suicide Support as its charity of the year after council employees were invited to vote using supermarket style tokens.

Three charities were nominated, but Sunflowers Suicide Support received the most votes.

Tara Skidmore, chair of Stroud District Council’s charity group said: “We thought it was important to ask people to nominate and vote for a local charity, and Sunflowers was a popular choice.

"We’re busy planning our first event for later in summer, and we’re aiming to raise at least £1,000 for Sunflowers over the next year.”

Sunflowers Suicide Support was set up by the family of Randwick resident Pete Morris after he took his own life in 2016 at the age of 29.

Pete’s family, found that there was a lack of specialist support in Gloucestershire, so they founded the charity with the aims of suicide prevention and postvention - support that helps those bereaved by suicide.

Pete’s sister Abbie Warren said: “We are absolutely over the moon that SDC has chosen us as their charity this year.

"Having recognition of the work we are doing means so much to us as a family and to all those we are working alongside.

"To have such a large and well know organisation support us is just incredible.

"Everything we do is self-funded and none of what we offer would be possible without support and donations from the public and organisations such as SDC.”

She added: “Sadly there is evidence that those bereaved by suicide are at a higher risk of attempting suicide themselves, so ensuring appropriate care and support is in place is essential.

"We have so many plans for the next year.

"The first is that we are hoping to set up a professional led support group from September and to do this costs money.

"So the support of SDC will definitely go towards this."

To find out more about Sunflowers Suicide Support visit the website sunflowersuicidesupport.org.uk