Lads Taking On Gigantic Task To Raise Money For Mental Health Charity

Two lads have decided to undertake a gargantuan task to raise money for a mental health charity after one of them lost their brother to suicide.

By their own admission, neither are particularly sporty. However, the charity in question means a lot to both Ben Watkins and Paul Millican.

So what exactly are they doing? Well, Paul is doing the Great North Swim. On June the 10th he'll be taking part in a two mile swim around Lake Windermere. He's 'aiming to finish in an hour and a half, and hopefully not in an ambulance.'

Ben is taking a slightly different track, almost literally. He's taking part in a 5k colour run.

He lost his brother, Jack, last year. On his fundraising page, he wrote: "As some of you may know, this time last year I lost my little brother, Jack Watkins, to depression. Young people today need something to believe in and someone to talk to.

"Sometimes it goes past what family and friends can do, which is what this charity fights for. I'm a fat bastard too, so it's a physical let alone mental challenge for me. Sometimes in life, heroes can be found under a layer of fat (I'm cheesy I know), I'm starting training today."

They recently made the following hilarious video to showcase their efforts to help other young men. It went a bit viral, and rightly so. Check it out below.

Paul said: "C.A.L.M (Campaign Against Living Miserably) are addressing a worrying statistic - in the UK, the most common cause of death for men aged 20 to 45 is suicide.

"It's a tragic solution to a problem that can be solved through outreach, communication, and just having someone who can support and talk to you. That kind of support has helped me through my own depression, but I know friends and families who haven't been so fortunate. So I'm raising money for C.A.L.M because I don't want anyone going through it alone."

Even though they flooded their bathroom when they made the viral video, it's still racked up thousands of views.

If you'd like to help these awesome lads hit their targets, you can sponsor them here and here.

I'll leave you with some words from Paul... "It's a norm in today's society for men to play down their emotions and take it on the chin, but bottling up your sadness and letting it consume you isn't a show of strength.

"If you're unhappy, stressed or lonely, please reach out to family, friends or C.A.L.M and just open up about it. And don't flood your bathroom. Bit of a nightmare."

You can contact them at The CALM zone where they offer amazing support to anyone when things get tough.

The helpline and web chat service are open 5pm to midnight, every day of the year.

NATIONWIDE: 0800 58 58 58

LONDON: 0808 802 58

WEBCHAT: www.thecalmzone.net/get-help

You can contact Samaritans on a free phone phone number - 116 123. Alternatively, you can email [email protected]

Words by Mel Ramsay

Topics: Mental Health, Charity

Mel Ramsay

Mel Ramsay has been a Senior Journalist for Tyla and LADbible since 2015. She started her career writing obituaries and funeral guides online. Since then, her work has been published in a wide variety of national and local news sites. She is part of the BBC's Generation project and has spoken about young people, politics and mental health on television, radio and online. Contact her - [email protected]

@melramsay_