Newcastle Colleagues Take on Wainwright's Coast to Coast in Prevent Male Suicide

Two colleagues will raise vital funds for suicide prevention charity James’ Place by following in British fellwalker and author Alfred Wainwright’s footsteps and taking on a Coast to Coast walk. Gavin Francis and Richard Armstrong, who both work at Sage in Newcastle, will run 190 miles from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hoods Bay in North Yorkshire across five days. The fundraisers will be wild camping along the way, and will be joined by other Sage employees for parts of the journey.

Suicide is the single leading cause of death for men under 35 and three quarters of all suicides are men. The North East of England has one of the highest suicide rates in England. James’ Place offers free, life-saving therapy to men in suicidal crisis at their centre on Summerhill Street in Newcastle. Men typically receive six to eight face to face sessions with a trained professional therapist in a non-clinical, safe and welcoming environment. The charity also has centres in Liverpool and Newcastle and plans to open in Birmingham next year.

40 year old Gavin said: “I wanted to support a local cause linked to mental health awareness and James' Place are doing great work helping men in the North East. James’ Place already have a connection with my employer and the narrative of men’s mental health was a perfect fit for myself and Richie given our sporting backgrounds where there is bravado and stigma around talking about your feelings and seeking support. We're hoping to raise funds and awareness and smash through our limits - physical, mental and emotional to raise money to help men in crisis."

Ashleigh Dixon, Fundraising Manager at James’ Place said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to Gavin and Richard for taking on this challenge for us, and we're also very grateful to Sage Foundation for supporting the challenge. At James’ Place we’ve helped over 3,600 men to date out of suicidal crisis, and money raised by this fantastic challenge will enable us to offer free, life-saving therapy to even more men.”

You can sponsor the duo at https://www.justgiving.com/page/gavin-francis-2?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL . 

Men who are in suicidal crisis in the North East, North West and London area can seek support from James’ Place by contacting them directly Monday-Friday from 9:30am-5:30pm. Visit www.jamesplace.org.uk for more information. If you or someone you know is suicidal you can seek help from your local A&E department or call the NHS on 111 and choose option two. You can also access 24 hour support via the Samaritans on 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258.

Pictured: Gavin and Richie from Sage fundraising for St. James' Place