In April 2014 we lost our friend Paul.

Paul was someone who could lift a room with his energy, would make time for any of his friends and would without fail make you laugh. Unfortunately, we lost that energy from the world far too early.

We are far from unique in having experienced the loss of a friend to mental health. On average 12 men in Britain die of suicide everyday and men are 3 times more likely to take their own lives than women. Many of these deaths would have been preventable had they been able to access the mental health services they needed. Although we can’t bring Paul back we can help to make sure that fewer friends and family suffer the devastating impacts of suicide in the future.

This is where CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) specialise. They are a charity which focus on male mental health. As well as having a helpline for anyone who is struggling to cope, they also work to create a community which eradicates the stigma surrounding mental health and campaign to ensure that those who need access to support are able to receive it. In memory of Paul we will be fundraising for CALM.

Now onto what we will be doing to fundraise. We plan to walk the length of the South Downs this July. This is a 100 mile route which after much research suggesting we do it in 7 or 8 days we have decided to attempt in 4.

It’s going to be a tough 4 days, walking from Winchester to Eastbourne and camping along the way. We don’t expect to enjoy it and we fully expect us to all be in pain by the time we reach the beaches of Eastbourne. We have chosen to take on such a big challenge in order to raise as much money as possible and do justice to the memory of our friend. Having been through the loss of one of the people closest to us we know that the money we are raising will help prevent others going through the same experience. It will help stop friends losing friends, mothers losing sons and children losing fathers. As we walk we could have no greater motivation than this.

We are therefore asking you to please donate as generously as possible. Whether it is in memory of Paul or for the thousands of other men and women who struggle with mental health. Our goal is to reach £5,000. Anything you can donate would be massively appreciated whether it is £1 or £100.

Keep an eye out on our social medias for updates on how we’re getting on in the build up to the big day. 

https://www.instagram.com/thehundredmilehike/?hl=en

Finally a message from CALM:

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.