In August 2021 four members of staff from the Bedford College Group will undertake the challenge to walk from the North Sea on the East coast of Great Britain to the Irish Sea on the West coast. The route starts in Northumberland and ends in Cumbria and it will follow that of Hadrian’s Wall. This incredible UNESCO world heritage site stretches for just short of 100 miles. The walk will be completed in 6 days and during the course of the challenge the team will pass through ancient Roman forts, historic abbeys, villages and of course traverse the iconic wall itself. The challenge starts on 1st August and the team will walk around 16 miles each day.

The Team members are:
Mark Brookes
Shaun Wilson
Mark Tinney
Ash Spiers

Our chosen charity is The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). They are leading a movement against suicide for everybody that needs it. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK and the cause of 18 deaths every day. CALM exists to change this.

CALM offers a free and confidential helpline and webchat for people in mental health crisis. They are open 7 days a week for anyone who needs to talk about life’s problems. CALM experienced a record surge in demand for the helpline during Lockdown. 37% more daily calls were made. This charity event will help CALM to try to meet this unprecedented demand and save more lives. An £8 donation can help to allow them to answer one more potentially life-saving call.

Their motto is: ‘Things can get tough, but we can help you get your life back. Being silent isn’t being strong.’