Walking 4 Hope 2024 campaign

Join us in making a difference in 2024!

Walking 4 hope is a charity supporting the mental health and wellbeing of individuals that may be struggling. Working with young people and adults to support mental health and build resilience through reconnection with nature.

John Bell, a bereaved father to Jake Bell and co-founder of Walking 4 Hope, is embarking on a monumental journey, a campaign to raise awareness, and support young people, families, and bereaved parents of suicide. Fundamentally and at the core of what we do and why we do it, is to make a difference to people’s lives! So, they don’t suffer in silence, and we enable them to better cope with the pressure modern society puts on people today. Inevitably we want to prevent the finality of losing more lives to poor mental health.

Throughout the year, John and a group of friends dressed as superheroes will take on multiple walking challenges. John, dressed as Deadpool, will carry a specially adapted bath displaying ducks sponsored by those bereaved by suicide, honouring lost loved ones. The bath will also bear a flag with photos of these beloved individuals.

You can have your loved one remembered on a duck, the flag, or both, with a voluntary donation to support this campaign. Additionally, businesses can support us as sponsors, with logos displayed on the bath for all to see throughout 2024.

As part of this campaign, John will walk approximately 140 miles from Mansfield Football Club to Wrexham over 7 days, arriving on Good Friday. ‍However, there will be much more mileage to cover as the year goes on, John wants to fly the flag of our lost loved ones at the tops of the highest mountains in the U.K

If you wish to support this cause or get involved in any way, please contact Walking 4 Hope or John via our social media pages.

Please also consider sharing our GoFundMe page to spread the word and make a difference together.

Let's unite in spreading awareness, offering support, and honouring the memory of those we've lost to suicide. Together, we can make a difference.

#SuicideAwareness #SuicidePrevention #Walking4Hope

N.B. Please contact John if you’re interested in joining us on a mountain challenge, as you will need some experience in these terrains. You will also need to be able to take full responsibility for yourself.

How you can support:

1. We’re reaching out to others who have suffered the loss of a loved one to poor mental health. Please get in touch if you would like to sponsor/support by having their name on a rubber ducky.

2. Please get in touch if you’re a business who would like your logo on the outside of the bath to sponsor John throughout the whole of 2024.

3. Let us know if you would like to sponsor / support in any other way throughout this journey.

We’re aiming to raise £100,000 throughout the entire year of 2024. To accomplish this, the first milestone is set at £10,000.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch.

All funds will be going towards supporting our registered charity, which John and a small handful of friends founded after the loss of their children:

Walking 4 hope

Charity number: 1202602

We hope that we’re able to raise enough funds develop a base camp. To support families and young people who are vulnerable to poor mental health by getting them connected to nature and offering a haven where they can be themselves.

Thank you for reading and we look forward to hearing from you, hopefully we’ll meet some of you on our journey!

Please see below for the upcoming challenges and events as part of this campaign.

Full List of Challenges below:

KEY

Challenges already done✅

Challenges already booked in 100%

Challenges TBA

Intro walk

Saturday 20th Jan

15 miles Mansfield to Huthwaite and return.✅

Trail/mountain hikes

Saturday 3rd Feb

Malham Cove, group walk 7 miles.✅

Saturday 16th Feb

Kinder Scout group walk, 9 miles✅

Saturday 16th Mar

Snowdon, group walk, 7 miles 100%✅

Wrexham 7 day walk, Campaign dress up

Saturday 23rd Mar

Mansfield Town F.C to Ripley Town Centre, 13.8 miles 100%

Sunday 24th Mar

Ripley to Burton Albion, 26.3 miles 100%

Monday 25th Mar

Burton Albion to Uttoxeter, 18.2 miles 100%

Tuesday 26th Mar

Uttoxeter to Stoke/, 18 miles 100%

Wednesday 27th Mar

Stoke to Crewe Alexander, 16.7 miles 100%

Thursday 28th Mar

Crewe to Chester, 25.7 miles 100%

Friday 29th Mar

Chester to Wrexham AFC, 13.8 miles 100%

All timings will be on our website walking4hope.org for the Wrexham walk for Friday 22nd March with a full break down on timings and areas passing through. I will also be sharing my location on our facebook page, for anyone to keep track of where we will be each day.

April

TBA Joining the 3 dads walking to support their walk of hope dates to be confirmed

MAY

TBA

Monday 13th to Saturday 24th May

Benidorm or Bust car rally 100%

JUNE

Saturday 8th June

Planned walk in Grantham more details to follow, Co-Hosted & joined by Jenni & Jack from Evelyn's Butterfly EffectCampaign dress up to be decided 100%

Saturday 22nd June

Edale skyline x2, 40 miles, stay over the night in Hope. Campaign dress up 100%

Sunday 23rd June

Edale Skyline x1, 20 miles. Campaign dress up 100%

JULY

Saturday 6th July

Yorkshire 3 peaks lap 1, 24 miles, stay over the night, Campaign dress up Logistics TBA 100%

Sunday 7th July

Yorkshire 3 peaks lap 2, 24 miles, Campaign dress up Logistics TBA 100%

Tuesday 16th to Sunday 21st July

This is the week I Lost Jake on the 17th July. TBA

August

Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August

TBA Thames River 100km hike Logistics TBA

September

Saturday 14th September

TBA

Sunday 15th September

TBA

October

Saturday 12th October

TBA

Sunday 13th October

TBA

November

Saturday 23rd November

TBA

Sunday 24th November

TBA

December

Saturday 7th December

TBA

Sunday 8th December

TBA