For many people, mental health is a daily battle. Following the tragic suicide of an 18-year-old, an Oswestry woman is hoping to raise awareness and offer advice to those who need someone to talk to in difficult times.

Zoe Jones, from Porthywaen, is hosting a holistic health and well-being fair this weekend. The fair will give people the chance to engage in workshops, talk to therapists and learn more about a variety of healing, as well as offering support on mental health.

This is the second event that Zoe has hosted, and this year's fair is even more important to her than ever before.

Zoe has been a teacher at Walford College for 16 years. Over the years she said she has seen an increasing amount of students with stress and anxiety disorders, and has seen first-hand the effects that these struggles can have on 15 to 18-year-olds, including self-harm.

"It started to concern me, because I have a daughter the same age and she has started to become more aware of these issues," said Zoe.

"At the same time, I have a friend who, unfortunately now, had a daughter Rose who was my big inspiration for last year’s fair.

"Rose had suffered from mental health issues from about 15. She helped at the fair last year, and although she wasn't 100 per cent well, she was there.

"Unfortunately Rose took her own life this year after her struggle. She was 18. She struggled for three years.

"It's easy to go over it and see what went wrong and what could have been done, and unfortunately for my friend that’s still an ongoing issue.

"Rose went missing, and there was a subsequent search to find her. It was the most horrific ordeal, I was heartbroken, especially at the fact that she was 18. All that potential – she’d done well at school, she was a keen violinist; she was a lovely person.

"And whatever support there is, it just was not there for her when she needed it."

Zoe, along with Rose's family, hope that something positive can come from their story.

"I think for youngsters it takes them a long time to come forward with a problem," she added.

"And then if they’re not channelled properly they can get lost. Only last week I heard that children in Shropshire are having to wait weeks for any kind of help.

"There is a place in Shrewsbury called BEAM, which Is open on a Thursday. It’s a drop in centre its been organised by the children’s society. Young people can drop in for tea and cake and there’s counsellors there for them to talk to, and I think it’s a really good point of contact.

"I wanted to do something to raise awareness and raise funds, and this fair is even more important to me this year.

"I’ve got therapists together to offer something alternative, and if we can raise some money as well as some awareness and offer alternatives then I'm happy."

The Mind, body and spirit fair, at the Memorial Hall, takes place on Sunday, December 9 from 10am to 4pm.

There are seven free workshops, including introductions to herbal medicine, meditation and essential oils, as well as talks from Dr Julie Leoni on how to be less stressed and the healing power of telling your story.

"There's also a workshop on keeping a sense of balance through the holiday season," said Zoe.

"This time of year can be so hard – people can get lonely and with festivities they feel more stress.

There will also be a range of exhibitors on the day and 18 therapists, showing everything from medical herbalists, message therapy, acupuncture and homeopaths.

The plans for the event started back in June, and since then Zoe has worked relentlessly to enlist the help of mental health charities such as The Samaritans, Shropshire MIND and where organisations can't attend, they've sent plenty of information for the station that will be set up on the day.

"As well as having a few people on hand that are just for people to talk to, we also have lots of information for people to take away," she added.

"The event is open to everyone – not just for people who suffer with their mental health. It's about getting people support that they need and having someone there for them to talk to."

The fair is £1 entry on the door. For more information search @oswestrymindbodyspirit on Facebook.