TW: suicide

From July 13th to 14th I will be taking on an ULTRAMARATHON called Race to the Stones. This challenge, unlike anything I have ever done before, will see me race 100km over two days along The Ridgeway National Trail to the 5000-year-old Avebury Standing Stones, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Why on Earth would I do such a thing?!

On 7th October 2023, one of my remarkable bonus sons, Ed, decided he could not keep battling his complex mental health issues and made the heartbreaking choice of leaving this world.

It feels vitally important that the kindness, compassion, fun and a generosity of spirit at the core of Ed's being lives on not only in words but in actions.

At the time of his passing Ed was studying for a PGCE at Durham University in Modern Foreign Languages which leaves the world bereft of a talented and caring teacher. As such we, his family, have set up a bursary in Ed's name to be manage by Durham University. The bursary will enable more young people who shared Ed's passion for teaching to be able to embark on their PCGEs with additional financial support.

It felt right to choose Race to the Stones as a fundraising challenge because at the age of 15 Ed walked the very same trail with his father Paul.

Please donate generously as I run for us all in Ed's footsteps to try to reclaim some of the light that was extinguished with his passing.

Do feel free to email Ed's family using the address donations@edwardrichardson.org.

If, by remote chance, you would like to give more than £10,000 then please do not put it through JustGiving as the University will have to carry out compliance checks.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.