An Ipswich woman who hoped to "welcome in a new dawn" with a community walk for mental health awareness has described the event as "emotional" and "special".

Rachael Gough, from Woodbridge Road, said the number of recent incidents of people taking their lives across Suffolk inspired her to make a difference.

She held two 5km 'Dawn Walks' on both Saturday, October 8 and Sunday, October 9 with Rachael raising £1,123 for Samaritans, more than triple her initial target of £300.

"It was really special," she said.

"The atmosphere was both energetic and emotional. There was just a real sense of community."

40 people in total attended the two walks, with 17 taking part on Saturday and 23 on the Sunday.

The first saw participants meet at the Wilford Bridge in Melton and walk along the Deben River, while the second began at Shore Lane car park and led along Nacton Shore.

Both events began at 6.45am, a time Rachael described as "perfect" because it meant groups could "welcome in a new dawn together".

"Saturday was quite smooth, but Sunday saw us overcome fallen trees and all sorts of obstacles," said Rachael.

"It was so wonderful to see people who had never met each other before helping others along."

Speaking on why she decided to host the walks, the Ipswich resident said it was just "something I needed to do".

"Poor mental health is killing our young people and adults every day and there is not enough help for people struggling, who think that suicide is their only option," she added.

"We want to raise awareness of what people are going through and get people talking.

"The purpose of this event was to provide an opportunity for anyone suffering with their own mental health to come and walk with me, chat if they wanted to and be around someone that values your life, because every life is so precious and I wouldn’t want anyone to feel hopeless in their struggle.

"I'm delighted to see how much we managed to raise for such a good cause.

"That amount of money can make a huge amount of difference in someone's life."

If you would like to donate to Rachael's fundraiser, you can visit her JustGiving page here.