Community hero, Paul Brown completes 498 mile challenge!

Paul Brown, from Armadale, took part in an amazing accumulator running challenge, running the number of miles that corresponds with the date, across the whole of July! We were blown away by his dedication and determination to set such a gruelling challenge to raise awareness and funds for us and also for the local, amazing charity Neil’s Hugs Foundation that supports families affected by suicide.

Paul shared recently his thoughts on the challenge with the West Lothian Courier:

“I’ve done a few charity running challenges but this is a bit different.”

“I’ve only really heard of one other person doing this so it’s a totally new challenge for me and something a bit different and it will be interesting to see how it goes.”

“I’m more thankful that we can travel to go for a run now. Otherwise I’d have been running up and down the same route so I can head out if I want a bit of a change of scenery.”

“I’ve done seven marathons in seven days before but this is probably tougher. The first half of the month is relatively easy but once you get into the 20s it will be difficult.”

“For 12 days you’re running between 20 and 31 miles and going that bit further every day but it will be worth it.”

Paul started the last run of his 500 mile accumulator running challenge, from the iconic Edinburgh Castle, in the heart of the city. The challenge has seen him run almost 500 gruelling miles in July to raise money.

This challenge is part of ongoing support Paul has given to us and he wants more people to know about each charity and the importance of reaching out to local organisations when you need support. The lockdown in response to Covid-19 has raised new challenges for people’s mental health and it is more important than ever that people who experience baby loss or the suicide of a loved one know that they are not alone. Awareness raising campaigns such as Paul’s are crucial in helping people know who they can turn to for much-needed support.

We truly cannot thank him enough for his tireless dedication to our work x