Jurassic Coast 100 Miles for Dad

Bob Mealings 1964 - 2022

On a grey Saturday morning in January 2022, my brother turned up on my doorstep to give me the news that I had been terrified of for years – our dad had finally lost his long battle with alcoholism.

His death came as a shock, but this was an illness we had been struggling with as a family for years: the cycles of recovery and relapse, the hospitalisations, the regressive stigma and lack of institutional support, and the depression, grief, and anxiety which underpinned his addiction.

My dad was so much more than alcohol. He was gentle, witty, and kind. He was an excellent throw-it-all-in cook, a shameless kitchen dancer, and a well of knowledge on music and history. He was a devoted parent to three children. When we lost our mum to breast cancer in 2005, he gave us a childhood that was full of humour, opportunity, and love, despite our grief.

My experience of my dad’s struggle with mental health and alcoholism had a profound effect on me during my teens and early 20s, and it’s something I’m still coming to terms with. I had to grow up fast and take on the role of carer for someone I had idolised my entire life. Watching as my dad slowly lost himself in his illness was devastating and left me heartbroken. I miss him.

The tragedy of how his life ended was how predictable it was, and yet how helpless we felt in preventing it.

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The Jurassic Coast

During the second week of June I will be undertaking a multi-day trek of the entire Jurassic Coast path in memory of my dad and to raise awareness of alcoholism. The route will take me from Studland Bay in Dorset to Exmouth Beach in Devon, at which point I promise to fling myself into the sea.

Barring injury or any other catastrophic event, the aim is to complete the trek in around 5 days and camp along the way. This ambitiously means covering over 30km each day whilst carrying all my gear on my back.

At various points along the route I may be joined by special guests to keep me company (applications open for anyone else who'd like to tag along for a day) but this will largely be a solo endeavour.

I'll be raising money for the National Association of Children of Alcoholics (Nacoa), a small charity based in Bristol that provides support for anyone affected by a parent's drinking and raises awareness of the impact of alcoholism on families.

Support for addiction in a desperate place, I could have chosen any one of the many charities which work in this area. We need better funding for the NHS, alcohol treatment services, support for families, public awareness and prevention, bereavement, and mental health. The main thing I'd like people to take away from my story is how pervasive this issue is (1 in 5 children are affected by a parent's drinking), how devastating it is for families, and how the stereotype of an 'alcoholic' hides a much more complicated picture.