Three Dads Walking: Trio announce UK-wide challenge

Mike Palmer, Tim Owen and Andy Airey hope to see age-appropriate discussion of suicide introduced in schools

Three bereaved fathers who have raised almost £1m for a suicide charity are to take on an even bigger challenge.

Andy Airey, Mike Palmer and Tim Owen, known as 3 Dads Walking, caught the attention of Hollywood star Daniel Craig with a 300-mile walk last year.

The trio from Morland in Cumbria, Sale in Greater Manchester and Shouldham in Norfolk all lost daughters to suicide.

Now they plan to visit all of the parliaments in the UK during a month-long, 600-mile fundraising trek.

The dads all lost daughters to suicide - Sophie Airey, Beth Palmer and Emily Owen

They hope their latest challenge will encourage the inclusion of compulsory age-appropriate lessons on suicide awareness on the curriculum to help children to talk about their emotions.

The men did not know each other before their daughters died.

At the school Mr Owen's daughter, Emily, attended in Downham Market, suicide has been taught as part of Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons.

A room called The Sanctuary, where students can relax and get away from social media, has also been created with his help in memory of Emily.

'Not in the best nick'

Mr Owen said: "Over 200 schoolchildren every year die by suicide. That's a whole primary school dying.

"If that happened in one go the Government would do something about it, but because it happens in individuals it doesn't make the headlines, and also there's the stigma around suicide from when it was a crime and we've still got that in society.

"We talk lots about mental health, but we don't bridge the gap to suicide. We need to mention it so the children and young people will know where to go, because talking about it will save lives."

The trio will visit Stormont in September before starting their challenge

The men will visit Stormont in Belfast on 9 September as a prelude to starting their walk from Holyrood in Edinburgh on 10 September, which is World Suicide Prevention Day.

They will then head to the Senedd in Cardiff before finishing at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on 10 October, World Mental Health Day.

They have been offered free accommodation by bereaved families, supporters and businesses along the route, and will be joined by a support team throughout.

Mr Palmer said: "We are three ordinary old dads, probably not in the best nick, which is why we are walking and not running the route.

"Losing Beth nearly destroyed me, but this is giving me a purpose ... we wanted to walk, to speak with people, raise awareness and a bit of money."

Ged Flynn, chief executive of suicide prevention charity Papyrus, praised the trio for "channelling their energy to help save young lives".