At Christmas 2017, after suffering with depression for more than a year, my Dad took his life. My family and I have since learnt about the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and the amazing work they do to prevent male suicides.

I am running the Royal Parks Half Marathon in October in memory of my Dad, to raise awareness of this charity and to get more people talking about suicide. If he had known about this charity, it may have helped him in his crisis. 

What does CALM do?

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against male suicide, the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK. 

In 2018, CALM directly prevented 675 suicides.

Their goal is a life less miserable for you, your friends, your family and for all men.

CALM's free helpline and web chat gives anyone the chance to offload and talk through problems. The professional helpline staff offer support, information and help finding specialist services.

CALM challenges a culture that insists that a man who seeks support is somehow less of a man. We need to raise awareness of the issue so that everyone knows suicide is the single biggest cause of death of men under 45. We need to show that being silent isn't being strong and push for change to improve suicide prevention policies and practices. 

www.theCALMzone.net is CALMs website, hosting inspiring content written by men for men alongside information and support.

CALM also provides bereavement support through the Support After Suicide Partnership for those affected by suicide. 

What your money can do: 

- £7 can pay for one call that could save a life

- £23 pays for someone to take calls for an hour 

- £80 pays for the CALM website for a day

- £160 keeps one phone line open from 5pm to midnight for one evening 

Thank you for your support in helping to save more men's lives. 

Hannah