Surrey man runs London Marathon for Samaritans
He decided to do it after watching a close friend go through mental health struggles
Ben Springall's good mate was supported by a similar charity after attempting suicide, He says that friend will be there to meet him at the finish line, "finishing the marathon, wearing the shirt and knowing that I've raised so much money for the Samaritans, and having him at the finish line, I think that will be a pretty powerful moment"
After watching someone he was close to go through mental health struggles, he says he's realised how important talking about mental health is, "We still struggle with the same stereotypes," he says, after noting that his generation - Gen Z - is better at talking about their feeling than the 'stiff upper lip' generations of years gone by, "You have to 'be a real man', you can't struggle with these things."
"There isn't much support out there, it wasn't something we saw coming, and even as a close mate you really feel quite powerless when someone is going through that"
He says there is more awareness with celebrities coming out to talk about mental health - especially men's mental health, which he thinks does need more normalisation, "I think it's a societal change that needs to happen, but it's slow to change social norms, I suppose it's just important to be there for those who need it right now, and that's what Samaritans help with, it's great that theyre there to talk to, that they're there for people who really need it."