Three women from Oxhey will be trekking 100km from Richmond Park in London to Brighton to raise cash for CALM, the suicide prevention and support charity.

The intrepid walkers are Marcia Quinn, Kelly Sheward and Nicole Hochmuth will set out on May 12 and the course will take them out of the city and over the North and South Downs before reaching the seafront at Brighton the following day.

Each of the women has been affected by suicide. Kelly lost her mother when she was just 21; Marcia’s mother took her own life aged 46 after years of struggling with depression; and, more recently, her brother took his own life last October, aged 42.

Nicole also has friends who have been affected by suicide.

CALM, the campaign against living miserably, was set up to reduce the high suicide rate among men under 35, currently the single biggest killer of young men in the UK.

It is a campaign and charity targeting young men with a helpline, magazine and online community, but CALM listens to anyone who needs help or support.

Marcia said: "Men are three times more at risk of suicide than young women - in 2010 75 per cent of suicides were men.

"But while smoking and knife crime make the headlines, suicide is the biggest killer.

"There are many reasons why young men need a campaign like CALM.

"Everyone has their own life, with different interests, circumstances, pressures and problems. But men aren’t supposed to talk about stuff, so it can be hard for them to know where or who to go to for help when life gets on top of them."

CALM promotes and delivers a free, confidential, anonymous helpline and website targeted at young men, though CALM will listen to anybody who needs advice or support, regardless of age, gender or geographic location. Visit the website at www.thecalmzone.net for more details. Regarding the trek ahead of the trio, Marcia said: "It’s going to be really tough and nothing like anything any of us have done before. Nicole and I are used to running marathons but this is hardcore.

"We will be walking through the day and night and hope to finish within 24 hours. "Kelly is training really hard for the walk, whereas Nicole and I are in preparations for the Virgin London Marathon and Milton Keynes Marathon respectively. We are hoping to have done enough endurance training to get through the walk."

To sponsor the women visit one of the following web addresses:

  • www.virginmoneygiving.com/MarciaQuinn
  • www.virginmoneygiving.com/KellySheward
  • www.virginmoneygiving.com/NicoleHochmuth