The man with a 'heart of gold' behind Prince William's visit

PRINCE William was in Wales last Wednesday to visit a newly-established mental health hub on World Suicide Prevention Day.

- BRYANA FRANCIS Reporter [e-mail]

William attended the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to see a new centre for the Jac Lewis Foundation.

Mr Lewis, a popular footballer from Ammanford, was 27 when he died by suicide in February 2019.

The charity set up in his name provides rapid access to mental health support in communities across Wales.

It already operates two hubs, at Ammanford and Swansea Football Clubs, to encourage people to come forward.

When Jac, a pillar of his tight-knit Ammanford community, died, his friends and family wanted to create a lasting legacy from their unimaginable tragedy which would help others.

Those closest to Jac felt there weren't accessible mental health resources available to the 27-year-old before he died, so have set something up that they feel would’ve helped him.

It has, in fact, helped countless individuals, mainly men, who have been struggling, and the charity is growing.

Jesse Lewis, Jac’s dad, explained how one of Jac’s friends mentioned the idea of setting up a foundation in his name, and he agreed they had to do something.

With Jac having been an integral part of Ammanford FC and his local community, the town got behind them.

“All we wanted to achieve was to make sure people had access to mental well-being services,’ Jesse said.