In December 2020 we received the terrible news that Phil; one of our bootcamp fitness instructors had taken his own life. We never realised that he was suffering so it was a huge shock to us all. Phil really was a great bloke, he was not just a great fitness instructor but seen as a friend to many of us. He was also a much-loved brother and son. Phil was a very talented and creative man, a talented musician and played drums in a band (who compared losing him to losing their heartbeat), he crafted his own guitars from scratch out of wood, and he was a skilled screen printer. Despite all this Phil was always a very modest individual and shared his knowledge to empower others, always putting others before himself.

We will be paying tribute to Phil by completing a 24-hour fitness challenge around a park in Nottingham to raise money and awareness for the charity CALM, a leading movement against suicide . We will operate in small groups doing multiple shifts around the clock for the full 24 hours (1200 4th September – 1200 5th September), we will carry a baton around a small 0.5 mile circuit with various exercises thrown in along the way, the aim is to complete as many laps as possible. Another route will also run alongside which will take in some more areas that Phil delivered fitness sessions.

We will keep a total of the distance and reps done. We aim to achieve as a cumulative group total over the 24 hours:

•    Travel a total of 286 miles (the distance of the journey from Morecambe (Phil’s home town) to Nottingham and back again)
•    5000 sit-ups
•    5000 tricep-dips
•    5000 Burpees
•    5000 chest-to-bar pull-ups
•    1000 squats
•    1000 Left + Right ancle-taps

Participant list:
Amy Wilson, Andrew Shepheard, Ashley Jones, Becky Giles, Emma Bradshaw, Hannah Bourne, Hannah Warrener, Heather Whitehouse, Helen English, Helena Wooton, James Appleby, Jenny Lewis, Kirsty Rigby, Kyle Harwood, Laura-May, Liz Bates, Martin Whitaker, Mel Weaver, Mike Kabon, Nic Jepson, Paul McGowan, Sally Gregory, Simon Hickman, Simon Sorsby, Steve Harper.

Please donate what you can and let’s help others who may be suffering in silence.

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide, the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK. Our goal is a life less miserable for you, your friends, your family and for all men.CALM PROVIDES> A free and anonymous helpline 0800 58 58 58 and webchat (5pm-12am daily) staffed by trained professionals> Bereavement support > A website www.theCALMzone.net with inspiring content> Campaigns tackling stereotypes of masculinity, suicide and mental health. Help us save lives.