Ryan Thomas takes success in his stride as he completes 10 marathons in 10 DAYS in aid of suicide prevention charity
Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas took success in his stride on Wednesday as he completed 10 marathons in 10 days to raise money for suicide prevention charity, CALM.
The actor, 36, shared a moment of solidarity with the marathon participants and supporters as he marked the end of the challenging event in Manchester.
He appeared jubilant as he dropped by the Coronation Street set after trekking all the way from London to the North West city.
Impressive: Coronation Street star Ryan Thomas took success in his stride on Wednesday as he completed 10 marathons in 10 days to raise money for suicide prevention charity, CALM
He was seen rocking a personalised charity tee, black shorts and walking boots for the event.
Ryan wrapped a waterproof jacket around his waist and supported his knee joint from the gruelling journey with a leg sleeve.
The actor protected his face from the sun with reflective shades and a black baseball cap.
On his journey, Ryan made nine overnight stops via six different canals.
Accomplishment: The actor, 36, shared a moment of solidarity with the marathon participants and supporters as he marked the end of the challenging event in Manchester
The father-of-two was raising money for CALM (Campaign Against Living Misery) as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021.
On Friday, Ryan revealed one of his friends took their own life during lockdown, so he decided to take on the enormous 262-mile journey to raise money for mental health awareness.
Speaking candidly about his friend, Ryan said: ‘It really shook everyone. You’d never have known he was suffering.’
Vowing to ‘let people know help is out there,’ the doting father added: ‘If I can save even one life, I’ll have done a great job.’
Claim to fame: He appeared jubilant as he dropped by the Coronation Street set after trekking all the way from London to the North West city
Ryan hoped to raise £25,000 to support the cause, but he smashed his target with around £144,068 donations, as of Wednesday.
The target has since been updated to that of £145,000
On his fundraiser page on Just Giving, Ryan wrote: ‘I am lucky enough to have a big following and as someone in the public eye I want to use it for positive change. The stats are shocking, and we need to do something about it.
‘If one life is saved by me doing this challenge, if someone checks on their friend, or uses CALM for advice and help – then it’s been worth it.
Good cause: The father-of-two was raising money for CALM (Campaign Against Living Misery) as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2021
‘I’ll also be using this time and challenge to use my platform to give the charity, mental health experts and survivors a platform to tell their story.’
The Office For National Statistics reported that there were 6,507 suicides in the UK in 2018, and of those, 75% were men.
Last year, the Samaritans charity reported middle-aged men with financial struggles are most at risk from suicide as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Success! Ryan hoped to raise £25,000 to support the cause, but he smashed his target with around £144,068 donations, as of Wednesday. His target was updated to £145,000