A Sheffield man has been inspired to create his own mental health charity after losing his close friend to suicide, Amy Britton reports.

After struggling throughout lockdown with his own mental health and dealing with the loss of his friend, Jake Cook, Jojo Quattrocchi decided to quit his job and dedicate all of his time to helping others.

Mr Quattrocchi realised that many of his friends did not know about the help available in the local area. He said: “That really stood out to me and showed me that there is a really big problem in this area. The suicide rates in the UK are quite staggering.”

During a trip to Brazil while dealing with his own recovery, Mr Quattrocchi came across a yellow flower that changed his perspective on the world. Inspired by this moment, he decided to name his charity Amarelo.

He said: “It became such a huge moment of hope and I had it in my mind for a while that I could use my experience and suffering to try and help other people.”

Mr Quattrocchi plans to launch Amarelo in May during National Mental Health Week.