Fife social media ‘influencer’ organises football match for mental health charities

Darren Mackie has thousands of followers on his Instagram page, as he shares pictures of his life and five children.

Through the social media platform, Darren has come into contact with other ‘influencer’ dads – and he says one of the big talking points is mental health.

“We’ve got a WhatsApp group chat,” he explained to the Mail. “If anyone feels down, it’s good to talk. We’ve had similar experiences.

“One dad opened up about his suicidal thoughts. Other people then started to come forward and said they had had these feelings.”

The conversations about mental health led to a group of the dads in England setting up a charity game at Sutton United.

Darren “jumped at the chance” to organise a similar game in Scotland, which is due to be held at Stark’s Park in Kirkcaldy on July 28.

The dads will compete in the match and raise funds for the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a leading movement against male suicide.

The game kicks off at noon, with tickets costing £6 for adults and £3 for children under 10 – all children must be accompanied by an adult.

Raith Rovers mascot Roary will be there to show his support, and there will also be facepainting and food and drink.

Follow Darren on www.instagram.com/dadoffourboysandalittlelady.