A WHITECROOK man who lost one of his best friends to suicide has helped to get lifeline phones installed in Glasgow city centre.

Andrew Malcolmson, 26, joined the Think Again Lighthouse Group who have fought since 2017 to get the emergency phones in the city.

The devices have now started to be installed along the waterways by Glasgow City Council – as well as clear Samaritans signage.

Samaritans: Call 116 123 any time, day or night, to speak to someone; or email jo@samaritans.org

The free phones enable anyone to get through to either the Samaritans or the emergency services with the press of one button.

Clydebank man Andrew became part of the group after his friend Calum Barnes – known as Lumo – took his own life at the age of 21 in Glasgow on September 3, 2017.

The duo were part of Deadsoundz, a Scottish hip hop collective, and travelled throughout the UK touring.

Andrew told the Post: “Calum was bright and full of life. He was such a great person who just commanded the room with his presence, and he had the most infectious laugh ever.

“He suffered, like many other Scottish men, with depression, and found it hard dealing with it.

“He campaigned for See Me Scotland and became an ambassador of the charity.

“Calum wrote a poem called ‘It’s Okay not to be Okay’. But leading up to his final day I would never have been able to tell he was feeling the way he was and that’s why I wanted to be part of something that would help save lives.

“Since he passed away, things haven’t been the same for me or other his close friends and family but being part of groups like this helps raise awareness – and helps us every day.”

Steff Shaw, otherwise known as the Glasgow Cabbie on social media, launched the Think Again campaign.

Andrew, along with others, gave insight into what it was like to lose someone close to them to suicide. Steff said: “We have fought extremely hard and waited patiently throughout a truly remarkable campaign to make the city of Glasgow safer, friendlier and better but at last we realised our dream for this city.

“The Think Again campaign became known globally and each and every person who helped us achieve success in Scotland’s biggest ever safety and suicide prevention campaign should feel very proud.

“A special thanks goes to every bereaved family who became involved in the campaign that brought huge interest and caught the imagination of our emergency services and the Scottish media.”