3 Dads Walking for HOPELINE247

Ynys Môn/ Anglesey 2025

We will walk a complete circuit of the Ynys Môn/ Anglesey Coastal Path to raise funds for HOPELINE247 the lifesaving helpline run by PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide.

Suicide is the biggest killer of under 35s in the UK and around 200 teenagers take their own lives in our country each year.

HOPELINE247 is staffed by professional suicide prevention experts who are trained to help young people focus on staying safe from suicide. They provide advice and support that help young people move forward and stay alive.

They are also there for concerned others; if someone is worried that a child or loved one is suffering from thoughts of suicide the HOPELINE247 experts can advise on how to start a conversation about suicide prevention and explore options on how best to support the young person who is struggling.

Up until 2023 this helpline ran from 9am to midnight however during that year PAPYRUS raised sufficient funds to train more advisers so the service could run 24 hours every day of the week. In 2024 PAPYRUS had 12,000 lifesaving interactions during the night and saw a 66% increase in the number of young people seeking help through their webchat service.

This 24/7 service is now under threat.

Like many charities PAPYRUS has seen a significant decline in donations since the cost of living started to impact on discretionary spending. Recently they put out an emergency appeal specifically aimed at raising funds to ensure HOPELINE247 continued to run throughout the night.

Funds raised on our walk will help PAPYRUS maintain the HOPELINE247 service.

Mike lives on Ynys Môn/ Anglesey, Andy in Cumbria and Tim in Norfolk all rural areas where mental health services and suicide prevention support are in limited supply. This means that in communities like these HOPELINE247 may be the only thing that can keep young people safe from suicide, particularly in the darkest hours in the middle of the night when other services are not available to them.

On Saturday 14th June we will set off from Mike’s home village of Cemaes Bay and, over the next 7 days, we will walk the entirety of the Ynys Mon/Anglesey Coastal Path (over 140 miles) before finishing our circuit back at Cemaes Bay on Saturday 21st.

Hope Can’t Wait Until Morning — Help HOPELINE247 Save Lives Through the Night.