Welcome to The Salty Rims Monkey run! (Dedicated to Sam Howarth)

Phil, James and I (aka the Salty Rims) have decided to ride a small child’s motorbike (one each) across the beautiful and harsh landscape of Morocco as part of the ‘Monkey Run 2020’. 

We’ll be starting our adventure near the desert oasis of Merzouga in the east of Morocco, dipping our toe into the Sahara, then spending the next 7 days riding hell for leather to Marrakesh. Attempting not to upset the locals and generally not kill each other on the way. 

We’re dedicating this (crazy and uncomfortable) adventure to the memory of my amazing younger brother Sam who devastatingly took his own life at the age of 23 after battling against chronic pain for over a decade. 

Chronic pain is a bastard to put it mildly, your own brain tortures you with pain you shouldn’t be feeling and there’s almost no way out.

Sam slowly lost the ability to do many of the activities he took most joy from, starting first with rugby - a sport he loved to play and coach. He then went onto adventure sports hoping the lower impact on his body would mean he could follow this dream -training to be an instructor and expedition leader. However, it was not to be as the pain in his back became worse over the years. 

But Sam still wouldn’t give up and so started his own business Eco bike ads, which he fought tooth and nail to grow and make a success of, however again, the chronic pain would rob him of the ability to maintain his business leading him to sell it. 

As the losses piled up, the lad still wouldn’t give up on having some semblance of a normal life, beginning an apprenticeship with Barclays as a programmer. It was during this time the pain became unbearable for Sam, meaning he couldn’t even sit at a desk at work without great and exhausting strain, physically and emotionally. 

Finally, on the 31/01/2018 Sam took his own life, unable to cope with thoughts of a life of constant pain and seeing no other way out. 

During all of this, one place that stood out as really helping Sam, and certainly helped to extend his life for a few more precious years is the ‘Walton Centre’. Here Sam was given coping techniques, introduced to others in a similar situation and given a greater understanding of why he was suffering so horribly.  The centre does amazing work and has no doubt saved many people from the loneliness and isolation that can come from chronic pain and the mental health issues this causes. 

One thing Sam loved in his life was to go on adventures and test himself physically and mentally, so in honour and memory of our Sam, I want to endure this challenge and raise as much money as possible to help others in a similar position who attend the Walton Centre for chronic pain. Please give anything you can, large or small to help spur us on as we have sore legs and gooches and sand in our eyes but Sam in our hearts.

We're looking to raise money for the Walton Centre and Cool Earth(see other page) £500 for cool earth and we'd like to raise a £1000 for the Walton Centre at least.