Three northern dads have completed the challenge of walking 600-miles across the UK to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
Andy Airey, Mike Palmer, and Tim Owen – who are known as ‘3 Dads Walking’, and famously completed a 300-mile 15-day trek between their homes in Greater Manchester, Cumbria, and Norfolk back in October 2021 – took on an even greater challenge in the name of charity this time round when they set out to walk to each of the Parliaments in the UK.
This 600-mile walk was once again in memory of their teenage daughters, who each took their own lives – 18-year-old Emily Owen and 17-year-old Beth Palmer, who both died in March 2020, and Sophie Airey, who died just before Christmas in 2018.
Just like last time, Andy, Mike, and Tim are continuing to raise funds for youth suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS through their challenges.
They want to prevent other families from going through the same heartbreak they suffered.
They also want to ensure that suicide prevention is a mandatory subject in every school in the UK, and started an online petition calling on the governments to take action – which now has over 115,000 signatures and counting.
This means it will be considered for debate in Parliament.
Andy, Mike, and Tim’s four-week journey began in Belfast back in September, where they walked to the Northern Ireland assembly at Stormont, before flying to Edinburgh to continue walking from the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood, and making their way down the country through the North West to the Welsh Assembly at the Senedd.
The last leg of their heroic 600-mile walk saw them make their way to the capital, and cross the finish line at the Houses of Parliament in London.
Arriving at Westminster, Mike Palmer – from Sale in Trafford – said he knows all their daughters would be proud of the work they are doing, and hopes that by raising awareness of suicide at school, it will give young people and their families “a second chance”.
“If Beth, Sophie and Emily had been more aware, they could still be here now,” he told BBC Manchester.
“We know, and these people here with us now, who have also lost loved ones, also know, if you put these changes into place, I believe it’ll make a massive difference and save lives.”
The trio were supported and cheered-on by members of the public every step of the way as they completed their trek yesterday.
Beth Palmer, Sophie Airey, and Emily Owen / Credit: 3 Dads Walking
Mike says the trio were “absolutely overwhelmed” by the reaction to their first walk, having set themselves a modest target to raise around £10,000, but eventually going on to raise nearly £900,000 thanks to public support.
As well as worthy donations from people right across the UK, their fundraising efforts also caught the attention of some big-name Hollywood stars the first time round, including James Bond actor Daniel Craig, and Nicole Kidman – who both donated £10,000 each.
Daniel Craig said he was “very moved by the indescribable pain”, while Nicole Kidman named them “three completely brilliant dads, doing a completely brilliant thing, to benefit so many.”
The dads hope completing this challenge will take them past the £1 million milestone.
Keen to show your support? Their challenge may be complete, but you can still donate to Andy, Mike, and Tim’s trek via their JustGiving page here, and find more information about the inspiration for their journey and what donations will go towards on the 3 Dads Walking website.
Featured Image – 3 Dads Walking
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Pep Guardiola hints at when Manchester City fans can expect to see their latest arrival
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has given supporters a rough timeline as to when they can expect to see their new signing, or at least their latest arrival, make his first appearance.
The Blues wrapped up the January transfer window with four major signings: their new attacking number seven, Omar Marmoush (who has already bagged a hattrick on his home debut) promising defensive duo, Abdukodir Khusanov and Brazilian Vitor Reis, as well as their ‘mini-Rodri’, Nico Gonzalez.
However, the club has had another late arrival who was technically signed back at the start of last year but who has spent for the last 12 months or so loaned back to his previous parent club, River Plate in Argentina, waiting to make the move over to the Etihad Stadium – and now he’s here in Manchester.
Speaking on his touchdown in 0161, Pep said Claudio Echeverri won’t be thrown into first-team action straight away but did give a rough estimate as to when City fans could expect him to get involved. You can see him discussing the integration plan in his post-match press conference following the Spurs win.
The mention was only brief but there’s still plenty of reason for Man City fans to be excited by the late January signing.
“Yeah, he [Claudio Echeverri] is going to start to train and mainly will be for the end of the season, maybe the [Club] World Cup and as soon as possible [that] he arrives he can adapt quick for the future.”
As mentioned, the 19-year-old Argentinian attacking midfielder from Resistencia officially put pen to paper with CFG back in January 2024 and was quickly dubbed ‘the next Messi’.
Now, although the football world is often quick to jump the gun with these things and he isn’t the first and certainly won’t be last to be slapped with this premature title, he’s done more to back up these claims since then than he has rubbish them.
Starring at the 2025 Under-20 South American Championships, netting six goals in nine games to finish the tournament as the second highest scorer thanks to notable braces against Brazil and Uruguay as the young Argentine’s finished as runners up.
He also notched 48 senior appearances for River Plate thus far, netting four goals and grabbing eight assists in that time, not to mention having already captained his national team at the 2023 Under 17s World Cup, where he scored another five.
Safe to say there’s plenty of talent to be tapped in this lad.
Once again, Echeverri won’t go straight into the senior set-up for a little while yet, barring a major injury crisis, but he’ll be a more than exciting addition to the City Football Academy and for future first-team lineups for years to come.
Who knows, maybe he’ll be included in an FA Cup matchday squad? Nevertheless, you can expect him to not just come of the bench but hopefully show what he can do at the Club World Cup this summer.
City‘s first fixture as reigning champions of the competition will be against Moroccan side Wydad AC on 18 June 2025.
You can watch Echeverri’s first full interview as a Man City player down below:
The new Man City signing is excited to be finally be part of the club 13 months on from agreeing his contract.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
Emily Sergeant -
11th October 2022 
