Three northern dads have completed the challenge of walking 600-miles across the UK to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
Andy Airey, Mike Palmer, and Tim Owen – who are known as ‘3 Dads Walking’, and famously completed a 300-mile 15-day trek between their homes in Greater Manchester, Cumbria, and Norfolk back in October 2021 – took on an even greater challenge in the name of charity this time round when they set out to walk to each of the Parliaments in the UK.
This 600-mile walk was once again in memory of their teenage daughters, who each took their own lives – 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.
Just like last time, Andy, Mike, and Tim are continuing to raise funds for youth suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS through their challenges.
They want to prevent other families from going through the same heartbreak they suffered.
They also want to ensure that suicide prevention is a mandatory subject in every school in the UK, and started an online petition calling on the governments to take action – which now has over 115,000 signatures and counting.
This means it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
ADVERTISEMENT
Andy, Mike, and Tim’s four-week journey began in Belfast back in September, where they walked to the Northern Ireland assembly at Stormont, before flying to Edinburgh to continue walking from the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, and making their way down the country through the North West to the Welsh Assembly at the Senedd.
The last leg of their heroic 600-mile walk saw them make their way to the capital, and cross the finish line at the Houses of Parliament in London.
Arriving at Westminster, Mike Palmer – from Sale in Trafford – said he knows all their daughters would be proud of the work they are doing, and hopes that by raising awareness of suicide at school, it will give young people and their families “a second chance”.
“If Beth, Sophie and Emily had been more aware, they could still be here now,” he told BBC Manchester.
“We know, and these people here with us now, who have also lost loved ones, also know, if you put these changes into place, I believe it’ll make a massive difference and save lives.”
The trio were supported and cheered-on by members of the public every step of the way as they completed their trek yesterday.
Beth Palmer, Sophie Airey, and Emily Owen / Credit: 3 Dads Walking
Mike says the trio were “absolutely overwhelmed” by the reaction to their first walk, having set themselves a modest target to raise around £10,000, but eventually going on to raise nearly £900,000 thanks to public support.
ADVERTISEMENT
As well as worthy donations from people right across the UK, their fundraising efforts also caught the attention of some big-name Hollywood stars the first time round, including James Bond actor Daniel Craig, and Nicole Kidman – who both donated £10,000 each.
Daniel Craig said he was “very moved by the indescribable pain”, while Nicole Kidman named them “three completely brilliant dads, doing a completely brilliant thing, to benefit so many.”
The dads hope completing this challenge will take them past the £1 million milestone.
Keen to show your support? Their challenge may be complete, 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.
Featured Image – 3 Dads Walking
Trending
Former Manchester United star Patrice Evra is set to make his MMA debut very soon
Danny Jones
In another somewhat left-field turn of events in the sporting world, ex-Manchester United star Patrice Evra is set to swap his boots for gloves as he prepares to make his MMA debut.
The retired Man United player and French international ended his playing days back in 2019 after a short one-year spell at West Ham, and has mostly worked as a pundit in recent years.
Evra, 43, stunned his millions of followers online and even more football and fight fans alike by announcing he would be trying his hand at combat sports earlier this week.
Hopping on social media to confirm the news, it’s fair to say he’s already relishing the challenge.
The former left-back made 379 appearances for the Red Devils, winning 14 trophies, but this will be his first in the European division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the second-biggest promotion in MMA after the UFC.
As far as we know, Evra has little to no background in fighting of any discipline, even if he was used to the more physical side of the game as a defender.
Writing via X on Friday, 25 April, the 2008 Champions League and ’09 Club World Cup winner, said: “I’m officially training for my first fight with PFL Europe. They will pick my opponent… They asked who I wanna face. I said: Luis Suárez.
“I’ll pay out of pocket. He can even bite me.”
Suárez, still playing at 38, was not only found guilty of at least three instances of biting other players but was famously charged with racially abusing Patrice Evra back in 2011, with the two sharing a strong feud ever since.
Now, since the Uruguayan striker is still playing professional football over in the MLS, alongside the one and only Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, we wouldn’t hold our breaths.
Nevertheless, it seems as though he will be fighting someone on 23 May, once an opponent is selected in the coming weeks.
Evra has been training with Cameroonian-French mixed martial artist and friend, Cédric Doumbé, a former kickboxing specialist and now an established fighter in the welterweight class.
Joking aside, although there are a lot of controversial moves that are legal in MMA, biting isn’t one of them – not that it ever stopped the former Liverpool forward in the past.
Speaking in an official press conference, Evra said: “I’ve performed on the world’s biggest stages, won every major trophy in football, but PFL Europe Paris will be an incredibly special night for me.
“I’ve been training alongside the best in the world for years, and they’ll also tell you I’m ready for this. I’m going to put on a show at the Accor Arena on 23 May, so come watch the spectacle.”
As out of the blue as it may seem, he obviously isn’t the only former athlete to have swapped one sport for another after calling time in their first career.
In fact, he’s not even the first United player to change lanes.
Mix-up leaves tourists bound for Peak District on a day trip to… Rochdale
Daisy Jackson
Who needs rolling hills and country pubs when you could have *checks notes* roadworks and charity shops?
Well, that’s the situation two people ended up in recently after a mix-up rerouted their trip to the Peak District to Rochdale, of all places.
Thankfully seeing the funny side, Canadian TikTok creator Mackenzie shared a video of the day trip they got stuck with.
The pair of mates had been planning a trip to the honeypot town of Castleton in the Peak District, but accidentally ended up heading over to Castleton in Rochdale instead.
In the light-hearted clip, she says: “This is just a reminder to read the small print when you want to do a spontaneous trip. Because Margarita and I thought we were going to the Peaks, and this is where we are…” while panning to the sight of some roadworks.
She continued: “We thought we were going to see gorgeous green hills. Nope.
“Anyways, come with us on our Castleton Manchester, not Peak District adventure.”
They visited Springfield Park, went to a pub to eat onion rings (with a random giant dog staring at them), erm… went to a charity shop, and looked at some houses.
Okay so not quite the Peak District paradise they were picturing.
One person commented: “Absolutely howling. Come all the way from America to end up in Rochdale” (Mackenzie stressed in her reply that she lives in Manchester and also, is Canadian).
Another said: “It’s the Springfield park for me”
Someone else suggested: “Rochdale should rename all of its areas to encourage more tourists. Hahah”
Dying to know if these girls ever made it to Castleton, Derbyshire.
Emily Sergeant -
11th October 2022 
