‘It doesn’t take much, with the right support and help, to get you back up there.’

JPCT 030713 S13280089x Horsham. Gavin Aslin setting up new business -photo by Steve Cobb

Gavin Aslin, a businessman starting out in Horsham, is sharing his account of how he got back on track after being diagnosed with depression.

He told the County Times that he wants to get the message out that not everyone who is told they have depression needs to resign themself to a lifelong struggle.

“I’m trying to get the message out there to say that you can be low, you can be down,” he said.

“It doesn’t take much, with the right support and help, to get you back up there.”

Gavin grew up in Broadfield, with parents who had long term health problems hampered their working lives.

As a teenager, he found himself looking up to people in his extended family who had well-paid jobs, and he decided he wanted to follow in their footsteps.

Gavin got a job selling cars for a Vauxhall dealership in Crawley.

“In my first year I sold about 230 cars - I did really well,” he said. “I consistently sold 200 to 230 cars a year.”

He bought his first house at 22, got married and started a family.

In 2007, when his wife Sarah suggested he try something new, Gavin found a job selling property in Dubai.

Two years in telesales - including one month in which he sold more than £1m worth of property - established Gavin’s reputation as a high flying salesman.