Norfolk dad walking 500 miles to raise awareness about suicide prevention charity
Tim Owen is part of 'Three Dads Walking' who've raised over £1 million for Papyrus since 2021
A dad from Norfolk who lost his daughter to suicide is starting a 500 miles walk this week to raise awareness about the life-saving work of a national suicide prevention charity.
Tim Owen lost Emily in 2020.
He's now part of 'Three Dads Walking', who've raised over £1 million for Papyrus since 2021.
Their latest walking challenge starts in Stirling, Central Scotland this Wednesday and finishes in Norwich City Centre on May 11th.
""I can't explain what it's like to lose a daughter to suicide"
Tim Owen lives near King's Lynn:
"The common thread that runs through all of the conversations that we have with people on these walks is, I didn't see this coming and I didn't know suicide was the biggest killer of young people - why didn't anyone tell us about this?!"
"So while we'll feel over-joyed to get over the finish-line, there will be a sense of the devastation that this happens to so many families.
"I can't explain what it's like to lose a daughter to suicide. Emily was a lovely, bubbly lady, who was 19 years old and had some tough times.
"She had been diagnosed with High Functioning Autism, and she'd really struggled ahead of that, but after was enjoying life more thanks to school and social services."
"We've had a series of roundtables with the Department for Education and"
He explained why they're fundraising for Papyrus, and what else they've been up to: "This charity provides suicide prevention training in the workplace and communities. It all helps to break down the stigma when it comes to the topic, itself."
"We've had a series of roundtables with the Department for Education and other experts. They have created a draft of a new RSHE curriculum about how we can safely and responsibly put suicide prevention into schools and make it age appropriate."
The campaign's journey so far:
-In 2021, 'The 3 Dads' walked 300 miles from Penrith, via Manchester to West Norfolk.
-In 2022, the group walked 600 miles over 30 days, from Belfast to Westminster.
-In March 2023, Parliament debated whether to make suicide prevention a compulsory part of the school curriculum- after a petition they put together got 150,000 signatures.
-In April 2023, the '3 Dads' met with the Prime Minister and Education Secretary (Gillian Keegan) and urged them to support their campaign to get suicide prevention on the school curriculum.
You can keep up-to-date with the '3 Dads' journey here.