A charity which aims to continue the “inspirational legacy” of a regional journalist and campaigner has been officially launched.

Liverpool Echo journalist Dan Kay, below, died last year aged 45 after a collision with a train. An inquest was told he had been receiving mental health care from Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust prior to his death.

Dan had been a central figure in the Echo’s long campaign for justice for the victims of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster which ultimately led to the reopening of the inquests on the 97 victims and the ruling that they had been unlawfully killed.

Now a group of Echo colleagues together with Dan’s family and friends have launched the Dan Kay Foundation, which aims to tackle stigma around mental health while spreading kindness and creating opportunities for those less fortunate.

It is the latest in a series of charity efforts which have seen more than £13,000 raised for organisations Dan regularly volunteered for, inculding An Hour For Others, Imagine If Trust, Mind and Tough To Talk, with the latter training 100 ‘Tough Talkers’ in suicide first aid.

Fans Supporting Foodbanks also benefited from more than £1,000 following a Christmas running initiative while an annual football match between his friends and colleagues collected more than £3,000 in its inaugural game in 2023.

Dan’s family and friends took part in the Liverpool Half Marathon to raise funds while his cousin Amos Waldman completed the London Marathon with only eight weeks of training after organisers allocated a place in the famous run in honour of Dan and his achievements.

The Dan Kay Foundation will continue to work with local charities and organisations while also launching its own initiatives across the city.

Echo editor Maria Breslin said: “Barely a day goes by without Dan’s name being mentioned in the Liverpool Echo newsroom. He remains a much-missed colleague and a huge inspiration to our reporting team who have learned an awful lot from his many achievements and his commitment to combating injustice.

“I know being a Liverpool Echo journalist was a big part of Dan’s life for very many years and I am pleased we have been able to support, in some small way, the setting up of a charity aimed at carrying on the good work he started.

“The money raised in memory of Dan is already helping save lives with men’s mental health charity Tough to Talk delivering training sessions to a number of community groups across Liverpool and beyond.

“Dan was the most humble, kind and unassuming man and I suspect he would be a little overwhelmed by the prospect of a foundation bearing his name. But I hope he would be proud to see his friends and family come together to champion the causes which were so close to his heart. I am extremely proud to be part of that process.”

Before his death Dan worked with the late Anne Williams’s daughter Sara to co-write With Hope In Her Heart, a powerful account of Anne’s fight for justice for her son Kevin, 15, and the Liverpool supporters killed at Hillsborough.

Said Sara: “My mum always spoke so highly of Dan and had a real soft spot for him. I was nervous at first because I thought he was another journalist just after a story. How wrong I was.

“I remember opening the door to Dan and he gave me a hug. He put me at ease straight away and Dan and I soon became firm friends. He was part of our family, joining us on holiday and at events.

“Dan’s coverage of the Hillsborough Inquest was second to none. It was close to his heart and so were the families. You meet amazing people throughout your life, but you will only ever meet one Dan Kay.”