Before you go any further, this page is in aid of a suicide awareness charity and mentions the topic often - please read with care.

Hello - thank you for being here. My name is Sam, and I'm setting myself the challenge of walking 93 miles in April to help raise money for Mysterious Minds. Mysterious Minds are a fantastic charity based in Hull that supports those who have lost a loved one to suicide, as well as working to raise awareness and signpost services for those in need. As someone who lost their mum to suicide, this is a really important cause to me - I wanted to do something to help raise money and awareness, which is why I've set up this page.

The Challenge

My goal is to walk 93 miles in April, and I'm hoping if you're reading this that you'll sponsor me to do so! It breaks down to about 3 miles a day - while that's still a challenge, I've set a few extra rules:

I'll be logging all of my walks and posting regular updates on how I'm doing. I'd also like to encourage anyone who wants to join me on a walk to please do so! Walking and talking is so good for our mental health, and I hope for this to be as much about having a conversation as it is about raising money - whether that's the big stuff, what you had for your tea last night, or how good Ryan Gosling looks on those movie posters. If you're interested, let me know - no pressure at all, but I'd love your company.

Why Mysterious Minds?

Mysterious Minds is a local foundation in Hull and East Riding that supports families that have lost a loved one to suicide. The charity was founded by Chelsey Dalee and Leona Dalee in 2017 after losing Chelsey’s child’s dad and former partner, Jamie Swallow, to suicide. In 2020, Dawn Stansfield joined the team after losing her daughter Mollie to suicide and wanting to give back to the foundation after they donated towards Mollie’s funeral.

I lost my mum to suicide, and I know firsthand just how much the support of a charity like Mysterious Minds means to those in that awful, unthinkable position. I've seen the effect that a bereavement by suicide can have on a family, and experienced just how life-changing and life-saving the right support can be. Your donation will go towards ensuring that their support continues to be given, whether its helping to access critical services, donating towards funeral costs, or funding Christmas gift boxes for those left alone after their loss.

So, why 93 miles?

It will be 7 years this April, that I lost my mum. We shared our birthdays in April, both of them falling on the 4th. I'm turning 30, and she would've turned 56. Searching for a number of miles that seemed like a good challenge (and wasn't totally arbitrary), I landed on 30 + 56 + 7 for a grand total of 93 in 30 days.

In addition to raising money for a good cause, I set this page up in memory of my mum (that's us in the photo at the top). I'm also doing this in the hope that what happened to her can be prevented from happening to anyone else. I told myself when she died that I wanted to try and make something good from what happened to us, and I'm proud to finally feel able to do that.

Suicide takes thousands of lives every year, and remains the biggest killer of people under 35. It's a difficult conversation to have, but a really important one - I've included some links at the bottom that I've found helpful in my own journey to talking more about it. If you're reading this and want someone to talk to (about anything at all), please reach out - I'd be happy to chat.

A final thank you

If there's anything at all you can donate, it'd be massively appreciated by Mysterious Minds, the people they support, and by me personally. If you can't give, thank you so much for taking the time to read this.

Talking about our struggles is an important part of healing from them, and I appreciate you reading my story. If you take anything away from this, let it be to please talk to your loved ones, about the good and the bad. When we share our burdens, they're half as heavy; when we share our joys, they're twice as full.

Links