Since 2021, Tim Owen, Mike Palmer, and Andy Airey have walked more than 1,500 miles together. They met through tragic circumstances, after losing their daughters — Emily, Beth, and Sophie — to suicide.
It was their surviving children who initially brought the three men together, through a suicide awareness course run by Papyrus, a suicide prevention charity based in the United Kingdom.
After Papyrus helped their families heal, the three dads wanted to find a way to give back. Palmer suggested a 15-day charity walk that would connect their three households and help other families navigating similar situations.
On the first walk, which tallied a total of 300 miles, they shared stories about their daughters — carrying pictures of Sophie, Beth, and Emily on their backpacks — as they raised money for Papyrus.
During their first walk, calls to the Papyrus helpline rose 20%.
“Mums are the emotional managers in the family, but because we’ve been open about what’s happened, dads started to phone up [too],” Airey told the Daily Mail. “I was really proud.”
In the years since, the dads have made annual treks across the UK, upping the ante every year. In April 2024, they walked 500 miles from Scotland to Norwich. This July, they walked the entirety of the Ynys Môn/Anglesey Coastal Path — another 130 miles.
To date, they have raised over £1.5 million for Papyrus ($1,957,057 in USD). Thanks to their efforts, the charity has since opened 13 more centers and begun operating a 24-hour helpline.
As they’ve helped others, the dads have helped each other too. Before they became friends, they struggled with suicidal thoughts. Now they know they can always lean on each other — no questions asked.
“We made a pact that if we were feeling bad, we’d call,” Owen agreed, “no matter what time of day.”
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A version of this article originally appeared in the 2025 Relationships Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via 3 Dads Walking
