All Things Business Social Media Executive Amy Hewitt is embarking on a notoriously tough cycling challenge this autumn to raise awareness of mental health issues as part of a team from suicide prevention and mental health charity, We Mind and Kelly Matters who will cover some 52,000 miles across Europe and the USA.
The Loneliest Road Challenge will see two teams of Kelly’s Heroes cyclists taking on one of two impressive cycle rides in Europe and the US, starting on World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10 and finishing on the Golden Gate bridge, San Francisco on World Mental Health Day on October 10.
The European team will cycle through Spain, France and Germany in ten days and will then pass the baton to the USA team, which includes Amy, and they will be cycling from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco on the west coast in just 17 days.
We Mind and Kelly Matters was founded after the devastating loss of Amy’s sister, Kelly Hewitt, who, at the age of 24, took her own life following her struggles with mental health. The aim of the challenge is to reach a total of 52,000 miles which is the distance it would take to go around the world twice – synonymous with the mental wellbeing ideology ‘ask twice’. The charity’s hopes that this will break the stigma and raise as much awareness for mental health as possible because it’s ‘OK not to be OK’.
Amy and Kelly’s father, John Hewitt, who founded We Mind and Kelly Matters, said:
“The name of the challenge comes from the part of the US route that includes a stretch in Nevada known as the Loneliest Road in America, thanks to its vast mountainous and sandy scenery. The name is poignant, given the lonely nature of mental health. It’s how people can feel sometimes when they’re struggling, I know it’s how I’ve felt at times after losing Kelly.”
In 2021, around 5,000 people in the UK died by suicide, equating to an average of 13 suicides per day. For those who are not in the grips of suicidal depression and despair, it can be difficult to understand what drives so many individuals to take their own lives, but a suicidal person is in so much pain that they can sometimes see no other option.
John added:
“Taking on this challenge will be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, both physically and mentally. So many people have put time and effort into this, with the riders dedicating hundreds of hours to training. It’s extremely humbling. My hope is that we can spread the messages #notalone and #asktwice and help people around the world to reach out and inspire people to help others. We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone.”
Amy and the team are fundraising through a Just Giving page, aiming to raise £100,000 to help them promote awareness and help prevent suicide. To donate, find out more or to sponsor the team, click here.
