MAN v FAT Maidenhead member Ben George can be hitting the streets quickly as a part of the Baton of Hope UK Tour 25.
Ben, who has been part of the Maidenhead membership since 2023 has been chosen to be a Baton Bearer for the Baton of Hope UK Tour 25, which is ready to be the largest suicide prevention initiative that the UK has ever seen.
The Baton of Hope UK are a part of a rising motion aspiring to a zero-suicide society and can merely not tolerate greater than 6,000 suicide deaths per yr within the UK (as at the moment) when most suicides are preventable.
They’ve a imaginative and prescient of a society the place suicide and suicide prevention are overtly and extensively mentioned, encourage hope by motion, the place individuals are suitably supported, and the place everybody performs their half in realising this imaginative and prescient.
In 2025, The Baton of Hope can be touring to twenty areas throughout the UK, being handed from individual to individual, all affected by suicide in a technique or one other.
Ben informed us: “I can be a kind of individuals carrying the Baton, and I can be doing so in Basingstoke on the twenty fifth of September. To ensure that the charity to proceed its important work in supporting suicide prevention, they should elevate cash and as a Baton Bearer, I’m elevating funds to assist their mission.
“I got here throughout the Baton of Hope in a information article which mentioned they had been recruiting for volunteers to turn into baton bearers for the 2025 tour over numerous elements of the nation. I learn their web page and what they had been about and due to my very own experiences I immediately needed to be concerned.
“I consider that each member of our group ought to have entry to the suitable assist on the proper time, suicide is the largest killer of males below 50 and ladies below 35. Along with your assist and assist, we are able to break the stigma round suicide and save extra lives.”
As Ben mentions, his curiosity within the Baton of Hope Tour comes from a really private perspective and he’s eager to get out and do his bit in Basingstoke.
He added: “My connection to the charity is extremely private. The charity is aiming to attain a suicide free society and to encourage individuals to speak and rid free individuals from the stigma of speaking about suicide.
“All through my grownup life I’ve struggled my psychological well being to various levels. These struggles have sadly led me to aim to finish my very own life on two events. Throughout these instances I turned more and more withdrawn from the family members in my life, and crucially I finished speaking about my ideas and the way I used to be feeling. Which is why it’s so essential we encourage individuals to speak about suicide.
“The ache that I felt at the moment and the ache I delivered to these round me shouldn’t be one thing I ever want for anyone to need to undergo. That is why I’m so proud to be part of the Baton of Hope Tour 2025.”
Ben will tackle his leg of the tour with the total backing of his MAN v FAT Maidenhead membership mates, who’ve been very supportive throughout his two yr stint with the membership.
And he’s vastly appreciative of the fellows he shares his weekly periods with.
He mentioned: “Being part of MAN v FAT has been an enormous assist for my psychological well being. I’ve all the time struggled with self esteem, self perception and self doubt and never as soon as at MAN v FAT have I felt judged, ridiculed or criticised.
“I’ve had nothing however assist from day one, beginning with the Ciaran the coach at first weigh in on the day of becoming a member of proper all the way down to the gamers, all people has been nice and I can not thank them sufficient.
“If ever there’s a dangerous week on the scales or the pitch there may be all the time an encouraging phrase from a number of individuals about the way it doesn’t matter and they’re all the time fast to level out the great you probably did, they by no means concentrate on the dangerous.
“Extra importantly at these instances when the psychological well being struggles are there that’s when it actually counts. The messages of assist are nonetheless there, even the occasional non-public message to supply a chat away from the group if it’s wanted to supply some further assist. It’s truthfully improbable and becoming a member of MAN v FAT is among the finest issues I’ve ever executed.”
You possibly can donate to Ben’s fundraising right here – we want him effectively along with his efforts!