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Cumbria stories you might have missed this week
Cumbria stories you might have missed this week

BBC News

time20-07-2025

  • Health
  • BBC News

Cumbria stories you might have missed this week

Three campaigning dads who lost their daughters to suicide were given welcome news this week, while an announcement for hospital patients in Barrow was less well received - here are some of the stories from Cumbria you might have missed this week. Dads win battle for suicide prevention lessons Three fathers who each lost a daughter to suicide say "lives will be saved" now the government has agreed to their call for suicide prevention to be taught in the past four years, Andy Airey, Mike Palmer and Tim Owen called for awareness of the subject to be added the national curriculum, following the deaths of their daughters Sophie, Beth and as the 3 Dads Walking, they said their "voices have finally been heard" after the Department for Education (DfE) announced on Tuesday that lessons discussing suicide prevention would be compulsory in secondary schools from September Airey, from Morland in Cumbria, said: "I'm absolutely gobsmacked, it doesn't feel real."Read the full story here. Hospital could stop treating sickest patients Sick and injured people requiring the highest level of intensive care may have to be transported more than an hour's drive away to a neighbouring county under a plan to permanently reduce a hospital and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) intends to make permanent the temporary suspension of the level 3 unit at Furness General Hospital (FGH), in Barrow-in-Furness, due to a lack of who require lower levels of critical care will continue to be treated at FGH, but the sickest patients would have to attend Royal Lancaster director Prof Andy Knox said the ICB would engage with the community and staff before confirming the information on this story is here. Council scraps discounts for first-time buyers A council has scrapped the need for housebuilders to provide discounted homes to first-time buyers on new housing and Furness Council has dropped the First Home Statement which gave buyers a 30% discount on their first home.A report by the council said the scheme did not fulfil its housing objectives, in part due to the area's ageing Democrat councillor Judith Derbyshire said the scheme "undermines our goal for local housing needs" and was "narrowly targeted".And you can read more about this story here. First mayoral election deferred to May 2027 A proposed mayoral election has been delayed to 2027 in a bid to save and Westmorland and Furness councils wrote to the government earlier this month to request deferring the proposed 2026 mayoral election in Cumbria to the following authorities said at the time holding the election would cost about £1m, but holding it in conjunction with the already planned local elections in 2027 would "save significant resources".The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed the request had been all about it here. Troubled jail now one of most 'impressive' A prison with a troubled history has become one of the country's most "impressive jails," inspectors have Haverigg, near Barrow, houses about 490 convicted sex offenders and had previously been forced to close for several weeks after a in recent years the prison has increased efforts to rehabilitate prisoners by finding them jobs on farms and in coffee Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, said the jail had become "safe, decent and effective".For all the details on this story click here. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

Three Dads' pride at suicide prevention lessons in schools
Three Dads' pride at suicide prevention lessons in schools

BBC News

time15-07-2025

  • Health
  • BBC News

Three Dads' pride at suicide prevention lessons in schools

Three fathers who each lost a daughter to suicide say "lives will be saved" now the government has agreed to their call for suicide prevention to be taught in the past four years, Andy Airey, Mike Palmer and Tim Owen called for awareness of the subject to be added the national curriculum, following the deaths of their daughters Sophie, Beth and as the 3 Dads Walking, they said their "voices have finally been heard" after the Department for Education (DfE) announced on Tuesday that lessons discussing suicide prevention would be compulsory in secondary schools from September Airey, from Morland in Cumbria, said: "I'm absolutely gobsmacked, it doesn't feel real." He said the trio began campaigning shortly after their first walk to raise awareness in 2021 and admitted it had at times felt "like we were swimming through treacle uphill", but now their "voices have been heard"."We have covered a lot of ground, literally and figuratively, over the last few years, but to come to a point where a significant change is going to happen still feels quite unreal. I'm stunned.""We are really proud of what we have achieved." "We would have rather never have met each other," Mr Airey the fathers "didn't choose to come down this route", once they launched 3 Dads they realised how important it was to be "open and honest" about what they were Airey, Mr Palmer, from Sale in Greater Manchester, and Mr Owen, from Shouldham in Norfolk, met Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson earlier this month, where they were told there was "potential for change" in the new DfE guidance reveals secondary schools will be expected to work closely with mental health professionals to help discuss suicide prevention with pupils in an "age-appropriate way". It said schools can follow the guidance from this year and that it would become compulsory from September move comes alongside plans to include anti-misogyny in sex education classes. An astonishing journey The road to this point has been long in more ways than one for the 3 Dads the trio set out on their first walk in 2021, it was to raise awareness that suicide was the biggest killer of under-35s – something none of them knew before their daughters took their own that 300-mile (483km) trip between their three homes they raised almost £1m for suicide prevention charity Papyrus, but knew much more needed to be their second walk took in all four UK Parliaments, where they called on ministers to ensure every child was taught the skills to cope with suicidal thoughts and where to turn to for help. As a result, they met the leaders who would be responsible for taking that decision - something all three say their daughters would find astonishing, if not a little a third walk they met the then leader of the opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, who heard the dads ask: "If this is the biggest killer of our young people, why aren't we talking about it?"Finally, at a meeting at Number 10 a few weeks ago, the prime minister said the government was taking the dads' concerns seriously, something today's announcement Mike and Tim say they are just three suicide-bereaved dads who put on their hiking they have also proved that by walking and talking they were able to change the whole narrative around suicide and take steps towards saving young lives. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised you can visit the BBC's Action Line pages, or contact Papyrus, or Samaritans. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.

'We know more precious young lives can and must be saved'
'We know more precious young lives can and must be saved'

Wales Online

time22-06-2025

  • Health
  • Wales Online

'We know more precious young lives can and must be saved'

'We know more precious young lives can and must be saved' Three fathers who have endured the 'indescribable' loss of their daughters to suicide have been trekking for eight days to raise founds for a charity determined to save young lives Left to right: Sophie Airey, Beth Palmer, Emily Owen (Image: Papyrus ) Three fathers who lost their daughters to suicide have walked 130 miles around a Welsh island in their memory. Mike Palmer from north Wales, Andy Airey from Cumbria and Tim Owen from Norfolk spent eight days trekking the Anglesey coastal path to raise funds for the Papyrus Prevention of Young Suicide charity, which has warned it might have to cut back on its Hopeline247 service, a helpline which is available through the night for children and young people experiencing suicidal thoughts. Mr Palmer, whose 17-year-old daughter Beth took her own life in 2020, said: 'In rural areas mental health services and suicide prevention support is in limited supply. That means in communities like the Hopeline247 may be the only thing that can help to 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.' Andy Airey, who lost his 29-year-old daughter Sophie to suicide in 2018, said: 'Hopeline247 is now under threat and, as dads who have suffered the indescribable loss of a child to suicide, we are determined to do what we can to maintain this life-saving service round-the-clock.' Tim Owen, Mike Palmer and Andy Airey finish their Anglesey coastal path walk Tim Owen's 19-year-old daughter Emily died by suicide in 2020. He said the Anglesey fundraiser — the fourth charity walk completed by the three dads — was "born from the belief that children and young people should not be alone with thoughts of suicide". Article continues below He added: "We know more precious young lives can and must be saved. Progress is being made but the fact is we hear of more tragic stories nearly every week. 'Smashing the stigma around mental health and suicide is our goal. With every step we'll remember our girls and this gives us the courage to keep going and make a difference.' The dads are confident they have reached their latest target of £30,000, having already raised around £1.5million for Papyrus with their earlier '3 Dads Walking' efforts, which saw them honoured with MBEs in the King's Birthday Honours List. In one fundraiser they walked 600 miles, passing the parliaments of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Ged Flynn, the charity's chief executive, said funding is urgently needed to maintain the helpline round the clock. 'We'd like to say a huge thank you to Andy, Mike and Tim who didn't hesitate when they realised Papyrus was struggling financially," he added. "Like many charities, we have seen a significant decline in donations since the cost of living crisis started to impact on the voluntary income we receive. At the same time, we have seen an increase in demand for our professional services. 'Since our Hopeline247 service went round the clock in the summer of 2023, we have seen an 86% increase in the number of contacts we received via text and emails. Last year there was a 66% increase in those reaching out via our webchat service. We are doing everything we can to protect our services, but we need help to be able to do so.' The three dads, who all live in rural parts of the UK, also used their Anglesey trek to highlight how people living in remote areas can feel isolated. To donate to the PAPYRUS emergency appeal, go here. You can see more details about the 3 Dads Walking campaign here. Article continues below For practical, confidential suicide prevention help and advice, you can call Papyrus on 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email pat@

Three Dads Walking set off on new fundraising challenge
Three Dads Walking set off on new fundraising challenge

ITV News

time14-06-2025

  • Health
  • ITV News

Three Dads Walking set off on new fundraising challenge

Three fathers who lost their daughters to suicide have begun a fourth challenge to help save young lives. On the eve of Father's Day, Andy Airey from Cumbria, Mike Palmer from North Wales and Tim Owen from Norfolk started a 130-mile trek around the Anglesey Coastal Path in North Wales. Their walk will raise money for the national charity PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, which says it might have to cut back on its HOPELINE247 service through the night, when children and young people are struggling through their darkest hours. The dads are aiming to raised £30,000 by covering more than 130 miles in eight days. Andy Airey, who lost his 29-year-old daughter Sophie to suicide in 2018, said: 'PAPYRUS is an amazing charity which offers vital support. 'HOPELINE247 is now under threat and, as dads who have suffered the indescribable loss of a child to suicide, we are determined to do what we can to maintain this life-saving service round-the-clock.' The 3 Dads Walking, who each live in rural parts of the UK, will also use their Anglesey trek to highlight how people living in remote areas can feel isolated, physically and emotionally. Mike Palmer, whose 17-year-old daughter Beth died by suicide in 2020, said: 'In rural areas mental health services and suicide prevention support is in limited supply. That means in communities like these HOPELINE247 may be the only thing that can help to 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.' The 3 Dads Walking have raised more than £1.4 million for PAPYRUS since completing their first challenge in 2021 by walking 300-miles. A year later they trekked 600-miles, walking between the parliaments of all four nations from Northern Ireland through Scotland, Wales and England. Last year they walked a further 500 miles from Scotland down through the eastern counties of England. A few months later they were honoured with MBEs in the King's Birthday Honours List. Throughout they have been campaigning to see suicide prevention included in the school curriculum. They say children and young people need to be taught life-skills to help keep them safe from suicide. Tim Owen, who lost his 19-year-old daughter Emily to suicide in 2020, says this challenge is all about redoubling their fundraising efforts for PAPYRUS and raising awareness of mental health and suicide. 'Progress is being made but the fact is we hear of more tragic stories nearly every week. 'Smashing the stigma around mental health and suicide is our goal. With every step we'll remember our girls and this gives us the courage to keep going and make a difference,' Ged Flynn, Chief Executive of PAPYRUS, says funding is urgently needed to maintain HOPELINE247 round-the-clock. 'Like many charities, we have seen a significant decline in donations since the cost-of-living crisis started to impact on the voluntary income we receive. At the same time we have seen an increase in demand for our professional services. 'Since our HOPELINE247 service went round-the-clock in the summer of 2023, we have seen an 86% increase in the number of contacts we received via text and emails. Last year there was a 66% increase in those reaching out via our webchat service. 'We are doing everything we can to protect our services, but we need help to be able to do so,' he said.

Cumbrian author to share story of loss and hope at book event
Cumbrian author to share story of loss and hope at book event

Yahoo

time14-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

Cumbrian author to share story of loss and hope at book event

A Cumbrian author is set to share his story of loss and hope at a book event. Andy Airey, who co-authored 'Three Dads Walking,' will be at Verey Books' Words on Wednesday event on May 21. The book was written with Mike Palmer and Tim Owen in memory of their daughters, Sophie, Beth, and Emily, who took their own lives. The three fathers embarked on a 300-mile journey across Britain to cope with their grief. Their journey, which took them from the Lakeland fells and Peak District dales to the Eastern fens, captured the nation's attention. Mr Airey said: "We were (and are) three ordinary dads who found ourselves in a desperate place we never expected to be, engulfed by pain and suffering beyond imagining. "We were men who chose to build something positive from the shattered pieces of our lives. "We wanted to do something and this is what it became … what we became." The book, based on their personal diary entries, is not only about their grief and loss, but also about the power of speaking out, friendship, and hope. Al, the owner of Verey Books, said: "We're deeply grateful to Andy for coming in to share his very personal story, which is also incredibly inspiring. "The Lakeland fells were part of the Three Dads journey and it's a real reminder of how our beautiful natural landscape of fells, valleys and becks can play such a vital role in our lives in times of need." Tickets for the event are priced at £10 and include a welcome drink. Verey Books is located in Pooley Bridge on the shores of Ullswater. The bookshop is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. Walking boots, bikes, and book-curious children and dogs are welcome.

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