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.
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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.
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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
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Tyson and Paris Fury reveal baby name – and it’s a touching tribute
Daisy Jackson
Tyson Fury and his wife Paris have revealed the name they have given their newborn baby, and it’s a beautiful family tribute.
The beautiful baby boy, who was born 18 September, is their seventh child together.
Today, in an exclusive with OK! Magazine, Paris Fury confirmed that they’ve settled on a name for the tiny new addition.
He is called Prince Rico Paris Fury, but will be known as Rico.
His name is a tribute to Tyson’s cousin Rico Burton, who died after being stabbed outside a bar in Altrincham.
Heavyweight boxer Tyson said at the time that there needed to be higher sentences for knife crime after the death of his cousin, saying: “Life is very precious and it can be taken away very quick, enjoy every moment.”
The baby’s middle name is a tribute to his mum Paris, 32, who has become a national treasure through their Netflix series At Home With The Tysons.
Paris said of the photoshoot: “I love this photo of his beautiful newborn smile. Love all the photos from this shoot.”
At the time of Rico’s birth, a delighted Tyson wrote: “He’s here and he’s perfect @parisfury1.”
All of the Fury’s sons share the same first name of Prince, with Tyson saying: “I’m a king and they’re princes until they earn their rightful name.”
Their other children are Venezuala Lynda, 14; Prince John James, 11; Prince Tyson II, seven; Valencia Amber, five; Prince Adonis Amaziah, four; and Athena Amour, two.
Tyson Fury, originally from Wythenshawe, married Paris in 2018 after they met as teenagers.
Footage of Old Trafford’s roof leaking labelled a symbol of Glazers’ neglect by Manchester United fans
Danny Jones
To add insult to injury following a fourth defeat in seven games this Premier League season (five in all competitions), footage of the Old Trafford roof leaking onto supporters’ seats mid-match has gone viral as fans are labelling it a symbol of the Glazers’ much-maligned ownership.
The clip in question was taken on Saturday, 30 September during Manchester United‘s 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace — the same side they had beaten 3-0 in their previous Carabao Cup fixture — and shows fans sitting in the Stretford End having to grin and bear it as water drips all over them.
Old Trafford has received some renovations over the past couple of seasons, but they were mainly related to the installation of the digital ticket system, replacing doors after the infamous fan protests saw them invade the stadium, and updating the scoreboard with live added time — which pretty much every other team has also been given this season.
However, despite the stadium’s leaking roof having already been raised as an issue by fans in recent years, it would appear that there have been little to no repairs made, as these lot unfortunately found out first-hand.
A member of The Manc office also sits around this section of the stadium and often has to tend with occasional rainwater falling on him.
As you can imagine, social media was filled with Reds clearly disappointed but by no means surprised, commenting, “Scandalous this… The Glazers are using this club as their personal bank but no funds being spent on maintaining the roof”, “this is a disgrace”; “How embarrassing! Yet our club is somehow worth multiple billions. Pathetic”, and countless other replies to a similar effect.
Many have also noted that they had or are still experiencing similar in various other areas around the ground: “had the same in K stand last season, “same in the South stand”; one person even shared a video of a leak from inside the concourse (not the first time such footage has been shared).
Another went so far as to remark: “Unbelievable, all that success under Fergie and they seem to be light years away from being a modern club. When you compare to [Real] Madrid you have to question why [Man United] have seemingly been left behind to rot. I can see ‘the rise and fall of utd’ coming to cinemas soon.”
While safe-standing in the ground was increased back in July ahead of the new campaign, a large chunk of those seats were installed in the away end, so most fans elsewhere in the ground will likely never see the benefit and those who attend week in, week out know all too well how outdated the stadium is.
Although the prospective United takeover has been stalled for months now after neither Qatari bidders nor Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s offers met the Glazer family’s asking price, both bidders cited redeveloping the stadium as one of their main priorities.
Emily Sergeant -
11th October 2022 
