Nicole Kidman adds £10k to 'Three Dads Walking' suicide prevention fund

Kidman said she would like to dedicate her donation "to the memory of Beth, Sophie and Emily"

Film star Nicole Kidman has donated £10,000 to three fathers walking 300 miles to raise funds for a suicide prevention charity after their daughters took their own lives.

Andy Airey, Mike Palmer and Tim Owen are nearing the end of their journey between their homes in Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Norfolk.

The actress said she was "profoundly moved" by the "Three Dads Walking".

It was an "extraordinary undertaking", she said.

Kidman told the suicide prevention charity Papyrus, for whom the fathers are raising money, that they were "three completely brilliant dads, doing a completely brilliant thing, to benefit so many".

"Given the circumstances of the past 18 months and the impact of the pandemic, especially on the young, their work is particularly important right now," she said.

As well as fundraising, they want to raise awareness of the help and support available

The fathers have raised more than £460,000, helped by a £10,000 donation from Bond star Daniel Craig and £10,001 from former footballer and manager Lou Macari.

They have been walking about 20 miles a day, starting at Mr Airey's home in Cumbria and travelling via Mr Palmer's house in Sale.

They expect to complete the challenge at Mr Owen's home in Shouldham on Saturday.

Mr Palmer, whose 17-year-old daughter Beth died in March 2020, said: "Nicole Kidman says she was moved by our individual stories of loss and touched by what we dads have collectively set out to achieve.

"We'd like to say a big thank to Nicole for her generous donation and to every single person who has supported us every step of the way," he said.

The fathers are walking in memory of their daughters, Sophie Airey, Beth Palmer and Emily Owen

Mr Owen, who also lost his 19-year-old daughter Emily to suicide in March 2020, said they had had "some really powerful conversations" on the walk.

"One lady who'd seen us on television said that for the first time she'd been able to sit down with her teenage children and talk about suicide," he said.

"She'd had a frank and open conversation with them about suicide and we hope other families will now do the same."

"We want to bring something positive out of the devastation and help Papyrus to continue giving hope to young people who are struggling," said Mr Airey, whose 29-year-old daughter Sophie took her own life in 2018.

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