The Loneliest Road
On 10th September 2022 (World Suicide Prevention day) Kelly’s Heroes set out to cycle part of Europe and right across America, with the European leg covering more than 1800 miles. The US leg covered four different time zones and crossed seven mountain ranges, climbing 145,000 feet. The USA leg was purposefully timed to end on 10th October 2022 (World Mental Health Day).
The month long challenge clocked up 52,000 miles – the equivalent of going around the world twice – #AskTwice and #NotAlone were the key campaign messages reinforced through the charity, riders, sponsors and supporters to raise awareness of mental health across the globe.
Whilst a key goal of the challenge was to raise funds for the charity based in Northamptonshire, the global reach of this challenge enable funds raised to go directly to mental health support in local countries/areas for those participating.
The routes
Headline sponsor
taking it global
With the power of the VEKA Group behind us we were able to take this challenge global. We approached VEKA with our sponsorship proposal as their values We care, We Act, We Grow align perfectly with those of the charity. Through their staff, suppliers and industry connections combined with our marketing campaign for the challenge we managed to raise awareness globally in 2022.
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Sponsor or donate
A sponsorship or donation of any amount is fantastic. All funds raised go directly to support mental health, you will be making a difference.
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Do your own fundraiser, to raise funds and awareness for the charity.
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Our ultimate goal is to raise awareness of mental health, as far and wide as possible. We can't do this without you.
Find out more about getting involved with our latest challenges
The Loneliest Road
Suicide prevention and mental health charity, We Mind and Kelly Matters are about to embark on a
notoriously tough cycling challenge to raise awareness of mental health.
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 which will start on World Suicide Prevention Day on the
10th September and finish on the Golden Gate, San Francisco on World Mental Health Day on 10th
October. The European team will cycle through Spain, France and Germany in 10 days and will then
pass the baton to the USA team, who are cycling from Newark to San Francisco in just 17 days.
We Mind and Kelly Matters was founded after the devastating loss of Kelly Hewitt, who, at the
young 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 to 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’.
Founder and Kelly’s father, John Hewitt explained: “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 explained: “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 #notaloneasktwice 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.” The team are fundraising through a Just Giving page, aiming to raise £100,000 to help them promote awareness and help prevent suicide.
To find out more or to sponsor the team, visit: https://bit.ly/3BbosHY