A MAN who tragically lost his sister has completed a mammoth fundraising challenge in her memory.

Simon Conchie, 34, of Egremont, ran a hundred miles in a month to raise funds for the mental health charity Mind West Cumbria.

The death of his sister, Nicola Moore, 31, who was chef and co-owner at the Lowther Arms in Whitehaven, shook the community when she died in October 2017.

At her inquest, a coroner concluded the mother-of-one, who lived at Cleator Moor, had taken her own life.

Mr Conchie has now raised £1,400 in her memory after completing the gruelling test which sees participants Run Every Day (RED) throughout January.

He said: "Nicola would probably have thought I was a lunatic! Everyone said she would have been proud.

"I wanted to do something last year but my head wasn't in it. I just woke up on New Year's Day, signed up and went for a run."

Mr Conchie has been told by JustGiving that his page was one of the most successful fundraisers in January and in the top three per cent of them all.

He said it was a "brilliant" feeling.

"It was a lot more than I expected. I was very surprised. I didn't expect to get anywhere near that so I'm chuffed.

"I'm not a runner so I have found it a challenge. I set myself little targets along the way.

"I'm doing it to raise awareness. I have had a lot of support through Facebook."

He urged people who are struggling with their mental health to get the support they need and for others to be vigilant about the welfare of their loved-ones.

Speaking about his sister's death, he said: "I had no idea it was as bad as what it was until we got the call. I would never have thought... no one thought it was."

"I would like to raise awareness that there is support out there if they are struggling. Hopefully my funds will do something to help."

Mr Conchie is now feeling the positive effects of running 5km each day.

"It clears my head up. I have enjoyed it but my legs are tired. Every day is a challenge."

While Mr Conchie believes there is now more awareness around mental health he feels more still needs to be done to help people who are struggling.

"I don't think there's enough support to help them. It's still all over the place.

"There seems to be people talking about it. I work at Sellafield and there's a lot of things down there for mental health."