Hello my name is Mark Albiston and I wanted to thank you for visiting our just giving page.  We are a group of social runners raising funds for and awareness of suicide prevention.

Working in Salford as the managing director for adult social care I am deeply concerned about how the pandemic has affected peoples mental health. These concerns are amplified by the cost of living crisis which is likely to devastate many more peoples lives. 

Mental health comes in many guises and affects people in so many different ways but a sad truth is that too many people affected by mental health have lost their life too soon through suicide and too many people are affected by the feelings not knowing their loved one was struggling and not being able to help.  

Societal attitudes to mental health and loss of life to suicide are an additional stigma experienced by people and the people they leave behind.  

Over the next 12 months I will be running with friends and colleagues to help raise money and raise the profile so people feel comfortable having conversations about mental health and suicide.

Through running we aim to raise as much money as possible for Reach Out; Start to end suicide in Salford and to help people start the conversation on how they are feeling, including when people have thoughts to harm themselves.

 Any donation big or small will help more people currently living with mental health, their family and loved ones get help and make it ok to talk about mental health.

For help & support visit Shining a Light on Suicide | Together we can help prevent suicide.

Our Runners:
Rob Hales - 'In terms of my interest in suicide prevention; I experienced a pretty major psychotic episode in 2013 at the age of 25. At the time, I tried to end my own life on two separate occasions over the course of a few days, which led to me needing to spend time in hospital, after which I was discharged without a job or a home to go to.

It took me a long time to recover from that episode, and to some extent I still am. I wish there had been more aftercare for me at the time, as well as people I know and love
being better equipped to speak to me about what had happened.

I feel there is still a massive stigma about talking about our mental health in this country,
which is probably even more true for men than it is for woman.

Were it not for my personal experience of attempted suicide it’s highly doubtful I would be in the career I am now in, and whilst I do not work directly in mental health services, it will always be an area I am hugely passionate about.

I want to be a part of driving the necessary cultural changes in society that will lead to people feeling more able to confront and talk about their mental health when things
are not ok.

Almost everyone I have shared my experience with has opened up to me about some time in their life when they have also felt low in mood, or acutely unwell but have not felt
able to talk about this, and I really feel that this is the biggest thing that needs to change in order to prevent more people from ending their lives prematurely.'



'Nichola Picken - The reason why I would like to be a part of this is because about 3 years ago a 13 year old girl called Faith killed herself, this beautiful girl was a year older than my daughter but while in primary school for a period of time they shared the same class, Mia went to her parties and Faith came to Mia’s, I know her mum Charlene as she is the lady to whom I go for my nails done and have been doing since my daughter and her daughter was in primary school together. I often chat with her mum about Faith and her mum now runs an out of school provision that supports young people that are struggling and when I listen to her and we chat about how fabulous this is what she is doing for other young people and in memory of Faith I too feel I want to do something, so this coming about at this time I feel is a sign where I too can do my bit. I could say so much more about Faith and her family and how this has had such an effect on me and I feel our community but I will leave it there but just say one thing, she was a beautiful precious being that should be here today and it is immensely sad and saddens me that she isn’t.'