THE MUM of an Irvine mental health nurse who was lost to suicide has told how the family have ‘been in shock for a year’ on the anniversary of her death.

Megan Copeland was just 20 when she took her own life on September 30, 2019 after a seven-year struggle with mental health issues.

The former St Matthew’s Academy pupil was found dead by her dad Rob when he came home from work, while her mum Jenny was working in the Shetland Islands.

In what has been a tough year, her grieving family have started a mental health charity and support network called ‘Megan’s Space’.

Jenny Copeland told the Times how channelling their energy into helping others has helped them to cope with the heartbreak of losing her daughter.

She said: “We’ve been in shock for the year, and I think channelling our energies into making a difference has in its own way saved our lives.

“We are just overwhelmed by the support we’ve gotten from our friends and family and the whole community.

“I guess we could conclude that even in your darkest times there is help and there is support, that’s what we want people to understand through Megan’s Space.

The Times previously told how the charity was launched on what would have been Megan’s 21st birthday in July after an online fundraising effort had raised more than the £22,000 target.

Over the past year the charity has already supported vulnerable people are in a crisis with their mental health, by redirecting them to services that can help them and linking in with private consultants.

Jenny said: “We’ve saved one or two lives in the process, it’s what it’s all about.

“With services being difficult to access, we have been able to take a phone call in one day and we’ve got someone support in 24 hours.”

Jenny believes that Megan would be have been “grateful to everyone” who has become involved in the charity, including her school pals Rebecca and Bethany who helped by selling merchandise to raise £1,000.

She added: “Megan had an amazing lust for life and was very enthusiastic about a lot in life. She would be so excited and grateful to everyone that has got involved and contributed. She would be smiling down on us all.”