Keighley folk walk a kilometre for each person who took their own life

Members of the peer support group in Keighley decided to walk, run and cycle 6,507 km with family members to represent the number of people who took their own life in 2018.

Walking throughout May, volunteers with Missing Peace Wellbeing and Support eventually clocked up 6,576 km, raising at least least £796 for their work.

Spokesman Amy Louise Walker said the hope was to top £1,000 once all the money was in.

She said: "We had a moment in the middle of the challenge with a few team members out with injuries, when we weren’t sure we would make it!

"The funds raised will go back into the community to provide much-needed help for those with mental health needs."

Amy said the figure of 6,507 people who took their own life in 2018 was a 10% rise on the year before.

She said: "The group aims to raise awareness of this shocking number by taking on the challenge and sharing the story on their Facebook page Missing Peace Wellbeing And Support.

"The group also set a kindness challenge to run alongside the walking every day. Kindness was the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week this year."

Amy said Missing Peace Wellbeing and Support was a community organisation passionate about peer support and 'WRAP', the Wellness Recovery Action Plan.

"Missing Peace’s mission is to make Keighley and the surrounding communities suicide safe.

"Missing Peace has continued to run throughout lockdown offering peer support, Zoom calls and one-on-one Zoom calls for anyone who needed them."

Missing Peace had originally planned to use Mental Health Awareness Week to host their second “toucan day”, bringing together local organisations to raise awareness and funds.

Amy added: "Due to the current pandemic this had to be cancelled, so the idea was to let the challenge provide the same awareness and raise some much-needed funds too."

Visit missingpeacews@gmail.com to support the appeal or find out further information. @MissingPeaceWellbeingSupport