84.

84 men every 7 days lose their lives to suicide. That statistic means that every 2 hours a man takes his own life in the UK. 

Male suicide is the single BIGGEST killer of men under 45 (with 75% of all suicides in the UK being men). 

As harrowing a stat as that is, a stigma around mens’ mental health still exists and shrouds it, and there is still not enough being done to raise awareness and normalise men being able to ask for help.

These are numbers and facts I never truly paid much attention to until recently. Nor did I ever imagine it would ever be an issue I would face so close to home until one day it was, and suddenly one of those 84 became a 1 to me. 

I can't change anything that happened to him. So I have come up with an idea to raise awareness for CALM (Campaigning Against Living Miserably). On the 18th August I will be running 12 miles per day for 7 days to represent each of the 84 lives lost in a week.

What do CALM do?

• Offer support to men in the UK, of any age, who are down or in crisis via our helpline, webchat and website


• Challenge a culture that prevents men seeking help when they need it, through CALMzine and campaigns such as #ManDictionary and #BiggerIssues


• Push for changes in policy and practice so that suicide is better prevented, via partnerships such as The Alliance of Suicide Prevention Charities (TASC), the National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA)


• Support those bereaved by suicide, through the Support After Suicide Partnership (SASP), hosted by CALM, which aims to ensure that everyone bereaved or affected by suicide is offered and receives timely and appropriate support

CALM runs a free, confidential and anonymous helpline and webchat service every day, 5pm to midnight, which currently takes 5,000 calls/webchats a month, mostly from men in distress or experiencing crisis.  They also raise awareness of the issue and encourage men to feel able to find help and talk when things go wrong. One call to the line costs them £7. 

So if by running nearly a half marathon every day for a week highlights this charity to just one more person, or raises some dollar to keep the phone lines always open, then maybe it won't be 84 every 7 anymore. 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.