News
Three northern dads raise over £700,000 for suicide prevention charity after completing 300-mile walk
The trio are raising funds for youth suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS in memory of each of their daughters.
Three northern dads who recently completed a 300-mile walking challenge have thanked supporters for helping them raise over £700,000.
Andy Airey, Mike Palmer, and Tim Owen – who are known as ‘3 Dads Walking’ – set off walking 300-miles between their homes in Greater Manchester, Cumbria, and Norfolk on Saturday 9 October, and after trekking for 15 full days while supportive crowds cheered them on along the way, they eventually crossed the finish line over the weekend.
The walk was in memory of their daughters – 18-year-old Emily Owen and 17-year-old Beth Palmer, who both died in March 2020, and Sophie Airey, who died just before Christmas in 2018.
The trio are raising funds for youth suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS.
After each of their teenage daughters took their own lives, the dads – including Mike Palmer from Sale in Trafford – began talking about what they could do to prevent other families from going through the same heartbreak that they suffered, and so they set on the idea of walking from each of their homes in a bid to raise awareness.
The trio set up a JustGiving page in aid of PAPYRUS – which provides support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person – and decided upon a fundraising target of just £30,000.
But after their story went on to capture the hearts of the nation, they have since gone on to smash their target by a whopping 1881%.
They have now raised more than £700,000 – and donations are still continuing to pour in.
As well as worthy donations from people right across the UK, their fundraising efforts also caught the attention of some big-name Hollywood stars, including James Bond actor Daniel Craig, and Nicole Kidman – who both donated £10,000 each.
Daniel Craig was said to have been “very moved by the indescribable pain,” while Nicole Kidman named them “three completely brilliant dads, doing a completely brilliant thing, to benefit so many.”
Mike Palmer has spoken on behalf of the trio to say ”thank you to everyone who has donated and supported us.”
He continued: “We are just three dads.
“We’ve lost our little girls and we really don’t want other families to go through what we’re going through.”
“We hope that by linking our three homes and telling our three daughters’ very different stories we will put a spotlight on young mental health and ultimately the brutal effects of suicide,” he concluded.
The challenge may have been completed, but you can still donate to Andy, Mike, and Tim’s trek via their JustGiving page here, and find more information about the inspiration for their journey and what donations will go towards on the 3 Dads Walking website.
Updates from the trio are also shared on Twitter and Instagram.
Featured Image – Twitter (@3dadswalking)
News
‘Seriously injured’ man rescued from reservoir dam at popular Bolton country park
Emily Sergeant
A significant emergency service response descended on a popular country park in Bolton early yesterday evening.
After reports of a person in the water at Jumbles Reservoir, in the Bromley Cross / Bradshaw area of Bolton, came in just before 6:30pm yesterday (Monday 18 May), teams from North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), Lancashire Constabulary, and Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service all attended the scene in droves.
Specialist support was also provided from NWAS’s Hazardous Area Response Team, North West Air Ambulance, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, National Police Air Service, and United Utilities – which looks after the reservoir.
It was also confirmed that a HM Coastguard helicopter was requested to attend the scene.
At this time, no formal statement has been made by the police, but Bolton Mountain Rescue Team has taken to social media to update the concerned public on the situation as it unfolds.
Their statement reads: “At 18:28 this evening, the team was contacted by North West Ambulance Service with the report of a person in the water at Jumbles Reservoir, Bolton.
“We worked alongside colleagues from NWAS and their Hazardous Area Response Team, Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, North West Air Ambulance, National Police Air Service, Lancashire Constabulary, and United Utilities. A HM Coastguard helicopter was also requested.
“A seriously injured male was rescued from within the overflow structure on the reservoir dam and was conveyed to hospital for further treatment.”
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According to reports in the MEN, pictures and videos posted on social media showed rope rescue teams along with water rescue units also in attendance, and the emergency response was seen in the main car park off Bradshaw Road.
Further statements and updates on the situation are expected in due course.
Featured Image – David Dixon (Wikimedia Commons / Geograph)
News
Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
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“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Featured Image – GMP
Emily Sergeant -
27th October 2021 
