Travel.Radio presenter and This Morning resident psychologist Emma Kenny is to complete a skydive to raise money for a mental health charity in memory of her dad Don, who died by suicide.
Kenny, who campaigns on suicide prevention, will be taking the leap with her husband Pete Smith in support of SOS Silence of Suicide.
The pair present the Weekend Take-Off Show on the industry radio station together and Kenny the founder of Appy, a health and wellbeing social media app.
“This is personal for my family after losing my father to suicide 18 months ago,” she said. “Anything we can do to help, whether that’s campaigning or throwing ourselves out of an aircraft at 10,000 feet, then we’re happy to help.”
They are joining other participants in the charity skydive.
Yvette Greenway-Mansfield, co-founder of SOS Silence of Suicide, added: “Everyone at SOS is delighted that Emma and Pete, together with three of our phone support volunteers, will be taking to the skies on May 1 to encourage discussion around suicide and poor mental wellbeing.
“Too many people are victims of shame, stigma and silence and the consequences can be devastating. Through care and compassion, we aim to create conversation and help reduce deaths by suicide.”
According to the Office for National Statistics the number of adults in the UK experiencing some form of depression has doubled during the pandemic. SOS Silence of Suicide have seen the number of incoming calls to them grow by 670 per cent since August last year.
The charity is actively seeking volunteers to help support the mental health crisis and is keen to recruit new volunteers for the helpline. Full training is provided and more information can be found here.
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