Story
So here we go..... I’ve decided to take on the Brighton Marathon!!!
In my day job, I work on the seafront in Brighton & Hove as part of the BHCC Beach Patrol team throughout the year. It’s a role I’m incredibly proud of, but it also comes with moments that stay with you forever.
Myself and my team regularly respond to people experiencing Mental Health crises. At times, especially during the winter months, we can have multiple calls coming in, people in deep distress, some desperate to leave this world. We find ourselves talking to those who feel they have no way forward, rescuing those who are determined to go, and doing everything we can to offer hope in their darkest moments.
For many, the seafront feels like the end of the line, a place people come when they’re trying to make sense of everything, and sometimes when they feel there’s nowhere else to go and they've run out of road.
I have sat on the beach with these people and it has had a profound effect on me personally. Sometimes they remind me of my friends. Sometimes they remind me of myself. And you realise how thin the line can be between coping and not coping.
Suicide has also deeply affected our seafront team and my colleagues.
I am running 26.2 miles for Chris Ingall (52), who used to manage our seafront team for over a decade. He passionately dedicated his time to help others along the seafront. Often without fully understanding the help that is out there, he would try to help others first.
For Joseph Greenslade (25), who worked alongside us at the Seafront Office. He was always so happy and chuffed to be working on the seafront. Always involved in the jokes and banter.
For Max Card (32), who I went to school with. He loved playing football and loved a good time.
For every family, friend, colleague and stranger who has been impacted by suicide.
To those that have suffered with depression and anxiety or still living with it. A quote from the author Matt Haig - "Depression is smaller than you. Even when it feels vast. It operates within you, you do not operate within it. It may be a dark cloud passing across the sky but - if that is the metaphor - you are the sky. You were there before it. And the cloud can't exist without the sky, but the sky can exist without the cloud."
I know this marathon feels personal. I will run much of the 26.2 miles along my home seafront, the same stretch where we work, where we support people in crisis, and where lives have been changed.
I’ll find strength in their memory one step at a time.
Thank you for donating,
Ed / Eddie (my alter-ego runner)
STAY KIND AND STAY IN THE LIGHT
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I’m currently training through wind and rain. It's been a hardcore Winter! My goal is to get close to my almighty Dad’s marathon time of 3:28. It’s a high bar, but one worth chasing!
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I've chosen to raise money for MIND. Here is their mission statement:
Mind's core mission is to fight for mental health, providing advice, support, and advocacy to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They strive for a society that promotes good mental health, treats people with respect, and ensures no one faces mental health issues alone or without support.
If you have been affected by witnessing a suicide, even if you did not know the person who died, support is available through:
I have also had some brilliant training and support via this Charity called Grassroots Suicide Prevention:
https://prevent-suicide.org.uk/
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By supporting this page, you’re helping to raise awareness around suicide, mental health, and the impact it has not just on families, but on witnesses, responders, and entire communities.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my page.
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