A London-born father of one has died after telling his mother he was struggling to cope without the support of his friends during lockdown.

Red Gale, whose family are from Lampeter in Wales, had sent a 'goodbye' message to his mother on April 1.

The 21 year-old's family have since paid tribute to the young father and called for greater support for young people's mental health during the current crisis.

Talking to Wales Online, his mother Polly Gale described him as having a 'soft, warm and loving heart'.

She said: "A heart that would fiercely protect the vulnerable, because you understood how it felt. 

"You lived with a wounded heart for far too long and I wished everyday that the universe would protect you to heal that beautiful heart of yours.”

Red's sister, Autumn, the eldest of his four siblings, said he had been suffering with depression and anxiety and said he was carrying 'the weight of the world on his shoulders'.

Autumn, 26, added that he was: "Funny, loyal and thoughtful, he went above and beyond for so many people, especially people who were struggling with their own mental health. 

"He told my mum that he wouldn’t make it through the lockdown. He had so many friends and family who cared about him but when the rules started he lost that huge support system. We tried really hard to take the pain away from him but he struggled.

"So many of his friends have said that he pulled them out of a deep dark place a number of times and he was a caring dad to his daughter.

“He had been struggling with his mental health for a couple of years and was let down so many times. His friends and family, we were all fighting for him but he couldn’t do it anymore and gave up the fight.”

She added that her brother had been failed by the health authorities because 'everything was about the virus'.

"We reached out to services, GPs, hotlines and everything but as soon as the pandemic started it felt like he was being passed around and that they closed the doors on him."

The family are now calling for greater mental health support for young people across the country who are struggling to cope with lockdown and being apart from friends, family, and support systems.

Red's funeral was held and streamed on April 15 and an inquest into his death will be held later in the year. 

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123 or email [email protected] or [email protected].