Photo/filming opportunity
Any time between 5.00pm on Friday 11 October until 5.00pm on Saturday 12 October:
Putlands Sports & Leisure Centre, Mascalls Court Road, Paddock Wood, TN12 6NZ.
Guy Webb is to run for 24 hours in Tonbridge on Friday 11 October, the day after World Mental Health Day, to celebrate his road to recovery from clinical depression.
Guy, 42, had struggled with depression for over two decades, moving in and out of NHS primary care services for much of that time. Things began to change when Guy was referred to Insight Healthcare, a not-for-profit provider of talking therapies on behalf of the NHS. Guy said: “They were the first people who really listened and understood. I encourage anyone who needs to use the service to just pick up the phone and talk. They will listen and even help you get more support if needed”.
Guy aims to cover 100 miles in his 24-hour run, to raise awareness of the importance of reaching out for mental health support and also to raise money for Insight’s Healthcare’s parent charity, Everyturn Mental Health.
The 24-hour run begins at 5.00pm on the athletics track of Putlands Sports and Leisure Centre. Guy will run under the floodlights until 9.00pm, when the lights will go out and he will be plunged into darkness. He will then continue the run throughout the night using only a headtorch, which he describes as “A metaphor for how my life has played out managing depression”.
Speaking of his motivation, Guy said: “It’s true that men don’t want to speak up. Maybe because they think it’s weakness, but it’s not – it actually shows true strength. I want to do my part to help others who are struggling with depression to understand life is worth living.”
If you would like to contact Insight Healthcare for support, visit www.everyturn.org.
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Notes for editors
- For more information, please contact Kate Parkins on 0191 217 0377 or kate.parkins@everyturn.org
- Guy Webb’s JustGiving page for the run can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/guysontherun.
- Insight Healthcare is a national not-for-profit provider of talking therapies on behalf of the NHS. Therapies provided include counselling and CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy).
- People can refer themselves to Insight Healthcare’s talking therapies and counselling Kent service online at www.everyturn.org, or by phone on 0300 555 5555.
- Everyturn Mental Health is Insight Healthcare’s parent charity and provides a range of specialist mental health support.
- World Mental Health Day is on 10 October 2019 and the theme is suicide prevention. Men accounted for 75% of deaths by suicide in the UK in 2018 (https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/statistics/suicidal-thoughts-statistics).