Colm Farrell and his Charity Ride in support of Stamp Out Suicide.
There are more than 10,000 deaths each year from suicide in the UK and Ireland and 78% of that number are men. For every life lost, or almost lost around 25 people are affected, which means a staggering 250,000 people are affected by suicide every single year.
In 2013/2014 Colm spent more than 600 days walking to every county in Ireland and the UK in aid of suicide prevention charity Console, racking up 7000 miles!
In 2015 Colm founded the Charity Stamp Out Suicide after a personal experience left an indellible mark on him. On the charity’s website he tells us a little about this
I met a person that attempted taking her own life. She spent four hours in A&E and then was given a prescription for antidepressants and put on a waiting list for counselling which was eight months later. Unfortunately for her there was none of the free counselling services available in her area. In fact the nearest service available to her was 135 miles away. If she were to avail of this service she'd have to miss one day a week from work plus the cost of her train was £60 return. She simply couldn't afford it and this put her health at greater risk. - Stamp Out Suicide Website
Stamp Out Suicide (SOS) recieves no government funding, so is only able to function with the kind donations from sponsors and members of the public, so fundraising is an ongoing concern. Colm and his team seldom rest on their laurels, as keeping the lines open and helping people is a top priority.
Ongoing Fundraising
Colm had the idea to ride the length of the country on the tiny little 125cc monkey bike to raise awareness for SOS in early 2022, writing to Honda UK hoping they would supply one of the little rippers. Colm was doubful of a reply but was blown away when honda replied within 24 hours offering to supply a bike, also offering to deliver it wherever worked best and to return it wherever was most convenient once the challenge was over.
Colm collected the bike in Aberdeen and rode it up to John O Groats which took 3 days even before starting the challenge!
Over the course of the next two weeks Colm rode the length of the mainland, each day being joined by local bikers as he passed through towns and cities along the way, spending each night with kind supporters of his cause who offered him a plank to sleep on. The Halfway point was special for Colm as it was a homecoming of sorts for the Galway Boy, who made his home in Warrington in 2014 as he was greeted by his clubmates
Escorted by the WMCC he rode to the Warrington Irish Club where he was presented with a fantastic £300 donation by the Irish Club Chairman, before carrying on with the rest of the ride to Lands end.
Overall Colm raised £3,350 for Stamp Out Suicide and he continues to raise awareness of this heartbreaking issue, but he has also earned the respect of his clubmates in the WMCC.
If you would like to donate to this worthy cause the please go to the Stamp out suicide website to find details on how to donate and even volunteer your own time.
From all your WMCC brothers and sisters, we salute you and look forward to seeing what crazy challenges you will come up with next!
