Heads Together!
As you may or may not know, on Sunday the 23rd of April; Pippa, Henri & Will have been given the privilege of running the 2017 London Marathon for CALM, in association with Heads Together.
Suicide was not a word we thought would be associated with us. Nevertheless, four years after tragically losing the head of our very special family, we find ourselves hoping to use the experience to raise awareness of what is the biggest cause of death of men under the age of 45 in the UK. As incomprehensible as this statistic sounds – husbands, fathers, brothers and sons are being lost to a silent killer that as a society we find difficult to talk about. But why is this? It is time to start the conversation.
Dr Terry Creasy, Consultant Radiologist, husband to Philippa, father to Alexandra, Henrietta, George & William; devastatingly committed suicide following an acute struggle with depression. As a male, and a doctor, this placed Terry in one of the highest risk groups of all. With the growth of our family his absence is more noticeable than ever, and we miss him dearly. The love and support of our incredible family & friends undoubtedly helped us through this journey.
With one member of our running party being eligible for a seniors’ bus pass, the strenuous training programme and the twenty-six mile sightseeing extravaganza will undoubtedly be an immense physical and emotional challenge. We hope the test will be made significantly easier knowing we are running for two fantastic charities that are raising the awareness of men’s mental health.
CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably, is a national charity dedicated to preventing male suicide by helping men who are down or in crisis. Promoting culture change so that any man considering suicide feels able to seek help, in addition to campaigning for better understanding of suicide and prevention.
Heads Together is a campaign coordinated by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. It brings together inspiring charities raising awareness and providing vital help for people with mental health challenges. Too often people feel afraid to admit they are struggling; this fear of prejudice and judgment stops people from seeking help and can destroy families and end lives.
We have already had an incredible journey on our own marathon adventure, and were even fortunate enough to run alongside the royals themselves – an experience we will certainly never forget. We really hope you can help us in our final challenge to reach our fundraising target for a cause so close to our hearts. We are so grateful for any amount you can give via our link below
We run for Terry, for CALM and for Heads Together- hoping to cross the line together….
Pippa, Henri & Will x