The group running together in their friend’s memory to support Eastbourne charity

The group of 24 of Adam Clarke’s loved ones are taking on the challenge to raise money for Eastbourne charity You Raise Me up, which provides support to families whose children aged 16-25 have died.

It comes after Adam took his own life in 2011, when he was 19, and since then the friends say his family has received ‘a great deal of peace’ using the charity’s services.

Adam’s friends said, “When we were all around 19 years of age, we sadly lost our best friend Adam. It left such a massive hole in our friendship group and really rocked all of our lives.

“When we first found out the devastating news nine years ago it was difficult to come to terms with knowing our friend was gone.

“No one knew how to deal with their emotions or what the right thing to do was, but we did know we had each other. We quickly found that talking about Adam and remembering him was the best medicine.”

The run will be ran as an online relay over July 4 and July 5 with the 24 runners completing an individual 10k in the specific part of the country where they live.

The reason behind the 240km distance is that Adam used to live between Hemel Hempstead - where the friends intially met at secondary school - and Eastbourne as a teenager, which is the distance between the two places.

The friends said they are aiming to complete the journey that Adam made ‘on so many occasions during his life’.

They said, “At the core of our friendships is the same love for Adam and what he stood for. It brings us such joy when we see each other and celebrate his memory together.

“We know that Adam’s family found a great deal of peace with the help of the charity You Raise Me Up. Over the last nine years, we have set up several fundraising events, as well as celebrating Adam’s life, to try and help support the charity in any way we could.”

The group said their ability to meet this year has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and so one of the friends, Olly Jacques, set up a socially distanced running club to keep everyone motivated and together.

They then saw You Raise Me Up were appealing for funds and decided to combine their new hobby with the fundraising event for Adam.

They said, “Coming together to remember our friend and support the charity which helped his family is not only a good way of raising money but also a focus for us during a time where our own mental health could be seriously affected.

“We thought remembering Adam could be difficult during this period but this challenge has created a shared goal and a way for us to keep his spirit alive, now and always.”

So far, as of Wednesday (July 1), the group has raised £1,9130 out of their £2,400 target.

For more information, or to donate to the cause, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com.

You Raise Me Up is a charity which provides emotional and financial support to families that have suffered the loss of a young person aged 16-25.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, the Samaritans may be able to help – the charity’s helpline number is 116 123.

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