An RAF Sargeant is taking on the Isle of Wight Challenge in memory of his close family member who took his own life after losing a long battle with his mental health.
Scroll for the full exclusive interview...
This weekend, Phil Angus, who teaches phase one RAF recruits their initial training will not only be raising money and awareness for mental health but will also be hoping to break the 24-hour time limit. He is physically challenging himself by carrying a 40lb military backpack.
All the money raised is for Mental Health Research UK, a charity close to his heart that aims to identify and combat mental health issues.
Phil says his family lost an ‘amazing man’ and if there had been “a clear understanding” about how to deal with mental health 40 years ago - the tragedy might not have happened.
He told Isle of Wight Radio:
"It's not only to raise awareness and to raise the money for this brilliant charity, but it's also to push myself a bit - so I wanted to put a military spin on it to make it more challenging and meaningful...
“The reason I am doing it for Mental Health Research UK is because in 2019 my uncle-in-law took his own life and he suffered from poor mental health for in excess of thirty years and his whole adult life. Sadly he took his own life so it is obviously something that is close to my heart. Mental health issues have only increased during the pandemic, having uncertainty with work, family life, where they are going to get money from so I think it is a challenging time for everyone. I think this is a topic very close to everyone's heart.”
There are several ways you can take part in the Isle of Wight Challenge but Phil has decided to do the ‘106km full Island challenge’ which will mean he has to run through the night to complete it.
Tomorrow (Saturday) he will set off from the County Showground in Newport and head anti-clockwise around Island, using the majority of coastal paths then cut inland briefly.
From L-R: Steve, his nephew Lee, his sister Sharon holding his great-nephew Rhys, his niece Katie and his brother Chris
Steve’s brother Chris Cane works for Island charity Sight For Wight in Marketing and Events said the loss of his brother affects him and his sister “in a way that will never be the same again”.
He told Isle of Wight Radio:
‘He (Steve) wasn’t able to socialise and saw nobody, apart from myself, my family and support workers. He had no life at all and no one was able to help him, despite being under mental health services. He was given different diagnoses and drugs but nothing really was able to help him so he used to drink heavily to suppress the demons in his head and take away the turmoil in his mind. Mental health is an illness that not only affects the sufferer, but also the close family and friends around them. He had a heart of gold and was very talented. He always had time to listen to me and my sister if we were ever upset and would have made an excellent counsellor, but it wasn’t to be.
‘His loss affected me and my sister in a way that we will never be quite the same again. Bereavement from natural causes is traumatic enough but bereavement from suicide is indescribable.
‘Despite Steve’s attempts at ending his life in his late teens/early twenties, it was still a shock when in March 2019 the Police knocked on my door at 2am informing me that my brother had committed suicide. What do you do with that information at that Hour?
‘Lockdown has caused many people to suffer with their mental health and, for me, it has been a struggle too, but I’m hoping that, with my nephew-in-law Phil doing the Isle of Wight Challenge, he will help raise vital funds and awareness for Mental Health Research UK and maybe one day there will be a better understanding of this terrible invisible enemy.’
Phil says the money will help fund future research and scholarships to get more doctors and scientists trained in mental health.
Phil concluded:
‘Mental Health is an invisible wound which everyone is susceptible to at any time and unfortunately some of you may have already had to deal with this personally or know of someone who has had their own battle with this cruel illness. I would be forever grateful if you could donate, it doesn’t matter how big or small the amount every little helps towards this amazing cause!’
Listen to the full interview with Phil below...
You can donate to Phil's challenge here
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