A bereaved father from Norfolk who raised nearly £1 million for a suicide prevention charity after catching the attention of Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig has announced his latest challenge.
Tim Owen, of Shouldham near King’s Lynn, went viral after embarking on a 300-mile walk from Cumbria to Manchester to Norfolk in just 15 days last October.
Along with team-mates Mike Palmer and Andy Airey, the trio - known as 3 Dads Walking - caught the attention of a number of Hollywood stars.
The dads said they were “absolutely overwhelmed” by the reaction to their first walk, having set themselves a modest target to raise around £10,000.
They eventually earned nearly £900,000 in sponsorship, thanks in part to donations from the likes of film stars such as the Moulin Rouge and James Bond actors, respectively.
Raising money for the suicide prevention charity Papyrus, during their epic sponsored walk between their respective homes they discussed mental health and raising awareness of suicide prevention.
The fundraisers had all recently lost daughters to suicide and did not know each other before being bereaved. They said they want the school curriculum to include compulsory age-appropriate lessons on suicide awareness to encourage children to talk about emotions and reach out.
Mr Owen, who was crowned the Charity Hero of the Year at the EDP's Stars of Norfolk and Waveney Awards 2021, said: “We’re opening up a conversation.
“People don’t want to talk about suicide, but if we just keep hiding this away as a society, it’ll keep going on.
“We’re losing too many people to suicide and this just shows if we talk about it, people will know where to go to if they’re in a bad place.”
The trio now plan to walk to the parliaments of the UK during a month-long, 600-mile fundraising mission.
On September 9, they will visit Stormont in Belfast, Northern Ireland, before starting their walk from Holyrood in Edinburgh, Scotland, the next day. They will go to Senedd in Cardiff, Wales, before completing their trek to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, on October 10.
- Details are available at www.3dadswalking.uk
- Papyrus HopelineUK is on 0800 068 4141, or you can text 07860 039967 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org
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