3 Dads Walking announce new challenge saying they have 'unfinished business'

Three fathers who lost their daughters to suicide - known as 3 Dads Walking - have announced a new charity challenge.

Mike Palmer from Greater Manchester, Andy Airey from Cumbria and Tim Owen from Norfolk, joined forces after their daughters took their own lives.

As well as raising awareness their aim was to highlight the need for suicide prevention to be included on the school curriculum.

Their online petition gained almost 160,000 signatures, and led to MPs debating the issue as well as meetings with the Prime Minister and the Education Secretary Gillian Keegan.

The three men's efforts also raised more than a million pounds for the national charity PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide. 

Their first challenge took place in 2021, when they walked 300-miles.

A year later they doubled that distance, walking between the parliaments of all four nations from Northern Ireland through Scotland, Wales and England.    

Now they plan to trek a further 500 miles in April and May 2024, covering new ground by walking from Scotland through the eastern counties of England.

Hollywood actors Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman each donated £10,000 as did soccer legend Lou Macari who lost his son to suicide. 

Mike, who lost his 17-year-old daughter Beth to suicide in 2020, says the 3 Dads Walking have unfinished business.  

“Our third walk is borne from the belief that more precious young lives can be saved. Progress is being made but the fact is we hear of more tragic stories nearly every week and there is so much work still to do.

 “Walking and talking is what we do. Smashing the stigma around mental health and suicide is our goal.

"With every step we remember our girls and this gives us the courage to make a difference.”

Tim Owen, who lost his 19-year-old daughter Emily to suicide in 2020, said: “Like many, I was shocked to find out that suicide is the biggest killer of under 35s in the UK, and often wondered if our stories would have been different if we or our girls had known about PAPYRUS and the charity’s HOPELINE247 service.

Andy Airey, who lost his 29-year-old daughter Sophie to suicide in 2018, said: “This walk is about refocussing our fundraising efforts to help PAPYRUS achieve its goals and extend the lifesaving work the charity does.

“Along the way we will talk to loads of people, some of whom will be new to the charity, we will raise funds to help PAPYRUS open more offices, train more people and ultimately stop preventable suicides. Together we can save lives.”

Should suicide prevention be taught in schools? We ask the question in our podcast, From the North