As a Dad himself our Chief Executive, Ian Soars, has been personally moved by the increase in Self-Harm cases that Fegans deal with. Motivated by this he has set himself a number of challenges that he will undertake over the next year. Here he explains in his own words the challenges and what is driving him…
“No-one can prepare you for being a Dad. Regardless of the amounts of wisdom I received from my own Dad and from other dads, I just didn’t really get it.
“But the moment you hold your first child, the world changes and you realise that your life is no longer your own, but belongs to this precious baby. You want to protect them from the tsunami of what sometimes can feel like unrelenting pain heading towards them…you want them to be strong, smart, popular and most of all, happy.
“Sadly not all children can be protected in this way, even with loving parents trying their best, trauma and distress can affect any child. Even more distressing is the fact that some of the children we help at Fegans have never felt safe and loved and have lost all sense of hope.
“I am running this marathon as a Dad who wants to do the best for all our children…not just my own. I am not a runner. I am not fit in any way. But I would like us, as dads, as parents, to be there for other children, not just our own. Over the course of this year I will put my body through many challenges I have never done before; this marathon, a charity boxing match, a triathlon, an ice swim in January and maybe even a tough mudders.
“Fegans has already transformed the lives of thousands of children but there are so many more that need our help.
“I want to raise £100k to give 200 more children that One Life we want our own children to have.
“Will you extend the love and protection you have for your own child to a child in need? Your donation can take a child on our waiting list in deepest despair to the safe haven of our counselling rooms to help them recover and go on to lead hope-filled lives.”
In the last 5 years the number of under 16s admitted to hospital for self-harm has doubled, and currently in the UK 4 children in every classroom have a mental health problem.*
*Public Health England, 2018
Imagine how many children are suffering whilst waiting for help.
Your sponsorship would be much appreciated to help more young people fulfil their One Life
Sponsor Ian
Ian’s journey so far:
For many children entering our counselling rooms, life feels unbearable; severe bullying or trauma, emotional, physical or sexual abuse has led them to self-harm and contemplate suicide.
By supporting Ian’s One Life Challenge you can help children overcome severe emotional pain, freeing them from self-harm and suicide.
Every single day our counsellors are saving lives and restoring childhoods