Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

The charity of my choice is CALM  in memory of my eldest brother Toby and all those men and women in the UK who suffer from mentalhealth issues. 

Depression isan awful illness that many people suffer from and it particularly affects youngmen. Men often find it hard to talk about depression and their feelings, makingit extremely hard to get help and fight this illness. Male suicides account for78% of all suicides in the UK and it is now THE SINGLE BIGGEST cause of deathin men aged 20-45, with 13 men taking their own lives each day!!

My brother Toby was a regular guy who was the life and soul of any party. He had a goodupbringing, a very good job in the city, had just turned 40 and recently marriedLisa in a lovely wedding in the South of France, just three months before hepassed away. They were due to go on their honeymoon in the coming days, howeverunfortunately that day never came. Toby had lots of friends, with over 400people attending his funeral and most of all came from a loving caring family. To me, his little brother, he had everything! He was loved dearly by his Wife,Mum, Dad, Brothers, Step Mum, Step Dad, Nieces and Nephews, however, he was clearly battling thishorrible disease and like many men who suffer from Depression he was battlingit alone. This illness affects people of all ages, all backgrounds and mostcommonly the last person you would expect it to affect, like very recently theactor Robin Williams and to everyone who knew him, Toby.

Toby loved all kinds of sports, however, his big love was Chelsea Football Club where hehas had a season ticket for many years (He was there in the shed watching thelikes of Kerry Dixon, he certainly wasn’t a 'new' Chelsea fan – He will behappy I wrote that! There is a picture in the gallery of this justgiving pageof his seat the game after he passed away). Toby being the generous andthoughtful person he was has participated in many charity events includingrunning marathons and raising lots of money in the process, which made ourfamily extremely proud of him. It was because of this that I decided to sign upto climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, for those who knowme, I don’t walk anywhere and this will be ahuge challenge but I would like to make my big brother proud of me. I will be climbing Kilimanjaro for over 7 days before hopefully reaching the summit which is 5895 metres above sea level, trekking anything from 5 to 17 hours a day whilst battling altitude and temperatures which can be -25 degrees. You can see the challenge on the link below. 

http://www.classictours.co.uk/challenges/climb-kilimanjaro-for-charity-sept-2015

And remember Depression is not a sign of weakness, it means you have been strong for far too long and it can happen to absolutely anyone! Let's lose the stigma that men should 'man up' and raise awareness that depression is an illness and not a choice!!

I havedecided on the charity THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST LIVING MISERABLY,or CALM, which is a registered charity, that exists to prevent malesuicide in the UK. They believe that if men felt able to ask for and find helpwhen they need it then hundreds of male suicides could be prevented. Theybelieve that there is a cultural barrier preventing men from seeking help asthey are expected to be in control at all times and failure to be seen as suchequated to weakness and a loss of masculinity. CALM seek to prevent suicide byoffering support to men in the UK, of any age, who are down or in crisis viatheir helpline and website. Challenging a culture that prevents men seekinghelp when they need it, see www.yearofthemale.com .Pushing for changes in policy and practice so that suicide is better preventedvia partnerships such as The Alliance of Suicide Prevention charities (TASC),The National Suicide Prevention Alliance (NSPA). CALM also hosts The SuicideBereavement Support Partnership, (which includes Cruse, if U Care Share,Papyrus, SoBs and the Samaritans amongst others). This partnership aims toensure that everyone bereaved or affected by suicide is offered and receivestimely and appropriate support. Its members are working collaboratively toensure this vision becomes a reality.

For more information please visit www.thecalmzone.net 

#SaveTheMale 

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