Update! We did it! Thanks so much!

So we survived the Half Marathon on Sunday! Thanks so much for all of your support, which definitely helped us through the 21.3kms!! It was a great atmosphere and we both felt very proud to be wearing our Samaritans vests and raising money for this amazing charity. Thanks to you, we’re helping Samaritans help even more people. You’re awesome and we appreciate all your support. 

Big love, Adam and Rachael x

Why are we doing this? 

Hello there

We're going to be running (or perhaps crawling) the Manchester Half Marathon on May 19th to raise awareness for Samaritans!

Adam's Story: As some of you may know, Samaritans do critical work in providing confidential, emotional support to people thinking about, or are actively, taking their own lives. Samaritans also support anyone who is going through a difficult time in their lives, be it with loneliness, mental health challenges, or every day stresses and strains. It’s a completely unique and invaluable Charity, and one which I am proud to be contributing.

Having volunteered for the Manchester & Salford branch for nearly a year now, I’ve come to meet some of the most open hearted and compassionate people who, no matter what the shift throws at them, manage to listen to whoever calls with the lightest of touches and the kindest of words. Thanks to volunteers’ incredible work, Samaritans is available to anyone who needs it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The issues Samaritans deal with are issues that affect us all, and they do work of value to us all.

So, if you kind people out there are stirred by my rousing words, I’d like to invite you to help me out with my little fundraising effort. As a kind of sacrificial offering, I will be donning the Samaritans running jersey and attempting my first 21km (eek!) at the Manchester Half next month – and would love it if you’d show some support!

Rachael's Story: just over 3 years ago, I walked into Manchester & Salford Samaritans and it changed my life in ways I could not have imagined. Since then, I've become a listening volunteer and a Trustee, and just like Adam, I am humbled every time I volunteer with the most kind-hearted, calm and compassionate people from every walk of life. It's a true privilege to be a Samaritan and volunteer for such an important charity. Every 6 seconds, someone contacts Samaritans. 

Over 20,000 volunteers keep the service going 24/7, 365 days a year. It costs a lot to keep the buildings open, the technology going, and making sure our volunteers have got the support they need to be there when our callers need us. Any support you can give me and Adam will go such a long way - from a message on race day, a share on social, to a couple of quid donation on here. It's all very much appreciated. And please spread the word, if you, or anyone you know is going through a tough time, Samaritans will be there for you (116 123 / jo@samaritans.org).

Your help could take many forms; be it a little donation to our JustGiving, sharing this page on your social media, or if you're tempted to volunteer yourself; we're happy to chat about what it's like. Whatever you can do, no matter how small, it'll make a difference that we and all our callers would be very grateful for!

yours,

Adam and Rachael