A NINE-YEAR-OLD girl is raising money for a men’s mental health charity in memory of a family friend who took his own life.

Rosie Williams-Taylor has set up a Facebook page, with the help of her mum and older brother, with a range of fundraising initiatives.

The money, which so far has reached nearly £1,400, is going to Andy's Man Club, a men’s mental health support group that meets in Knaphill.

In April last year, Phil McDaid, who Rosie regarded as an older brother, took his own life after years of mental health problems.

His girlfriend works at Tesco in Addlestone, which had lost an employee to suicide the previous year. The store held a weekend of fundraising events to coincide with Mental Health Week and invited Rosie to help.

She ran a “hunt the Pokémon” game because she and Phil played Pokémon Go and then decided to run her own fundraising events.

It started with a colouring competition on a Facebook page set up by mum Donna Williams and older brother Jamie Morton.

The money first went to Woking Mind and, when it was forced to close, then to the Surrey branch of Andy’s Man Club, a national network of self-help groups.

“The Facebook page has grown from 30 to 40 friends and family to just under 350 members,” Donna said.

“Rosie is getting people to do sponsored walks dressed as Pokémon and walking around places with handwritten letters asking for donations for raffle prizes. She’s doing really well.”

Rosie has held cake sales, walked 100km throughout August in the heatwave and walked from Addlestone to Weybridge and back with a group of people all in Pokémon costumes.

Donna said: “I am so proud of Rosie. She has the biggest heart and she always puts others first and wants to help.

“She lost both Phil and her Auntie Shelly, who had cancer, within a year of each other and has worked through her grief to find something positive to do to make them proud.

“She overcomes her own anxiety to speak publicly regularly and to ask businesses for donations which is amazing.

“And when she gets praised she is always shocked and doesn't understand why people thank her because she believes she is just being kind and helping and that's what everyone should do.”

Rosie said: “I wanted to help raise money and awareness to help people like Phil. I don't want anyone to feel the same as he did.

“I have a saying, ‘#SqueakUp YoureNotAlone’ because Phil's nickname was ‘squeak’.

“I am raising money for Andy’s Man Club because Phil would have attended it if there had been one locally, so it is the best charity to help in his memory.”

“Phil would make me laugh all the time. I miss him every day.”

* FOR more information, visit the Rosie Cares Facebook page, email [email protected]. or visit www.andysmanclub.co.uk.