For those who knew late Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison, this month has been a time of remembrance and reflection.

Fans recall the singer’s final performances on stage, while loved ones remember the final time they saw him. 

For Grant Hutchison, the band’s drummer, it is both: he is thinking of playing music with his brother for the last time.

This time last year Scott, 36, took his own life. His family have now immortalised his legacy in Tiny Changes, a charity aimed at those facing their own struggles with mental health.

The name of the organisation – taken from one of Scott’s poignant lyrics “while I’m alive, I’ll make tiny changes to Earth” – is a sentiment that Grant said resonated with the band’s fans before and after his brother’s death.

“With Scott’s lyrics, even though they were very dark on the surface, they always had a streak of hope in them, and a message to people that, yes, things can be awful sometimes but it’s going to be okay,” he said.

“It’s something that envisions the message of the charity: big changes are needed, but the way to reach those is through a series of tiny changes.”

READ MORE: Scott Hutchison's family launch Tiny Changes charity in his memory

Those small moments, he said, mattered to Scott. Even if it was as simple as trying to sneak fans who had missed out on tickets into a show, because you had no idea how much it could mean to them.

“My response would have been ‘well, buy a ticket’,” Grant said, with a laugh. “But Scott would instantly try to get them on the guest list.

“You don’t know what’s going on in someone’s life, and you don’t know how large an impact something like that can have on them.”

Tiny Changes seemed the most fitting way to honour Scott, whose own humble and understated demeanour was revered by fans across the world.

The songwriter was also known for the candour in his song lyrics, which addressed everything from heartbreak to his own experiences of depression. 

“People are talking about the charity name and saying the changes Scott made weren’t tiny, they were absolutely massive,” Grant said. “That’s a perfect example of what we want to do. To Scott, they were small things that he did, but they had profound effects on people’s lives.”

Over the past year, the family have taken comfort in similar tiny changes emerging from the band’s fans and friends.

Fans banded together to have a bench in Scott’s memory placed at Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, last year, while fellow musicians gathered in New York City for a charity gig where they each covered their favourite Frightened Rabbit song.

READ MORE: Frightened Rabbit’s Grant Hutchison on heartbreak of marrying without his brother Scott

Meanwhile, a fundraiser launched shortly after Scott’s death, which will now form part of the charity’s funding, has amassed nearly £36,000 in less than a year, with the total still rising.

“It’s exactly the message that this charity was founded upon,” Grant said. “The community was also reaching out with small gestures; checking in to see if people were okay, offering up their ears to listen – those are the tiny changes that can really make a big difference.”

Tiny Changes will focus on tackling the roots of mental health issues when they begin to arise in young people and children, something Grant said would have been integral to helping his brother cope.

Although the organisation is still in its infancy, Grant says he and his family praised the work and support contributed by fans in the last year.

“As a family, we are aware now that Scott’s issues were probably there for a very long time, possibly all his life,” Grant said. “But had there been more awareness or more support for mental health problems in children, and with early prevention, he could have had the tools he needed to cope.”

The organisation will fundraise and provide support for initiatives and projects already in place that Scott’s family believe will make a real impact on young people.

In the last five years, the number of referrals to children’s mental health services in the country increased by 22 per cent, rising from 27,271 to 33,270.

Throughout his childhood, Scott was shy and did not like to put himself in social situations, which Grant said is similar in a lot of children and often attributed simply as part of their personality.

“We’re not giving young people enough credit,” Grant said. “Lots of people talk about being open and talking about mental health issues, but that can be difficult for adults, never mind children.”

The charity, which was offically launched this week by Grant, alongside parents Marion and Ron Hutchison and brother Neil, will not only focus on those young people experiencing mental health issues, but also those surrounding them who may be able to help.

The family said they take comfort in knowing that grief over Scott is being channelled into something positive.

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“One thing I was certainly aware of before Scott’s death was times of real, serious depression and anxiety as an adult,” said Grant. “But I didn’t know how to help, from a lack of understanding.

“I haven’t suffered from depression, but I think everyone has periods of poor mental health, and not having that empathy makes it difficult to know what 
to do when someone’s going through that.”

Information about the charity is available at: maketinychanges.co.uk