Norfolk dad starting 500 mile walk to get people talking about suicide prevention
Tim Owen, from Shouldham, lost his daughter Emily to suicide in 2020
A dad from Norfolk is today setting off on a 500 mile walk - with two others - to get people talking about suicide prevention.
Tim Owen is from Shouldham, in West Norfolk and became a part of 'Three Dads Walking' after he lost his daughter Emily to suicide, just over four years ago.
"Going to be well supported along the way"
They'll be fundraising for national charity Papyrus, and tells us they'll be visiting the charity's new offices along the way:
"To see more hubs being opened by Papyrus across the UK means that more suicide prevention work can be carried out where it's needed.
"That's something that's helping to address an issue that's the biggest killer of our young people in the UK.
"We've always done the walks in September and October, where we've had the summer to train and the ground has had that time to dry out.
"We're a bit worried about how wet it is going to be, but we're really looking forward to it and know we're going to be well supported along the way."
"She was the life and soul of the party"
Tim said he's prepared for an emotional few weeks: "This walk is going to be emotional, like they always are. I think the most emotional bits of it are when you meet suicide bereaved parents, people and survivors on these walks. To hear their stories is quite a privilege really."
He told us more about Emily: "She was the life and soul of the party.
"We thought she had learnt to cope with her autism, but the lockdown was too much, she couldn't cope with all the restrictions. The week before the first lockdown she decided to take her own life."
What's next?
All the money raised from this challenge will go to the national suicide prevention charity Papyrus.
You can keep up to date on their progress here.
More details on the '3 Dads Walking' work can be found below:
https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/norfolk/news/three-dads-walking-suicide-prevention-petition/
-https://planetradio.co.uk/greatest-hits/norfolk/news/norfolk-dad-walk-across-uk-suicide/