On the 8^th September we (Claire Brown and Jonathan Hoare – aka Team BroHo) will be taking part in the gruelling Autumn Wolf Run, a tricky obstacle race which is set up to be the equivalent of a 10k.

This will be the most challenging course that either of us have undertaken part and we are keen to push ourselves to the limit and raise as much money as possible for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) charity.

With suicide being the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the UK and three out of four suicides being male, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) uniquely provides support to all who need it, and spearheads campaigns to raise money and awareness for this cause. 

CALM wants to work with the whole of society on campaigns to change culture and stigma around mental health. Some of their key achievements are:

• Preventing 250+ suicides each year;
• Taking on average 5,000 calls through their helpline every month;
• Helping increase the public awareness of male suicide rates by 3x in the past 10 years;
• Providing resources through their website to 30,000 visitors every month.

We have a common passion to improve the support for people with mental health issues and Jonathan can speak from personal experience of the damage that suicide and poor mental health can cause:

“This year marks the 30^th anniversary of when I lost my brother to suicide. Whilst there have been some improvements in the support available over the years, the rates of suicide are still at an unacceptably high level. Please help us to help CALM offer more vital support to those in need and prevent more families from experiencing the devastating loss of a loved one. Thank You.”

What your money can do:

• £7 can pay for one call that could save a life
• £23 pays for someone to take calls for one hour
• £80 pays for the CALM website for one day
• £160 keeps one phone line open from 5pm to midnight for one night
• £1,200 runs CALM’s entire helpline for an evening, allowing CALM to take nearly 200 calls a night
• £4,000 can fund an entire issue of CALMs, CALMzine. An engaging, original magazine set up to be available where men actually are with a focus on normalising discussions around mental health.

If you or anyone that you know is suffering from suicidal thoughts or in need of support,  please call CALM on the below numbers. Each call is confidential, anonymous and free.

Nationwide: 0800 58 58 58

London: 0808 802 5858

Or chat online: https://www.thecalmzone.net/help/get-help/

These lines are open from 5pm till Midnight 365 days per year.