When Hutchinson & Buchanan (H&B) client James Parkes approached us about sponsoring him in the London Marathon, we didn’t hesitate. James was raising funds for Papyrus which is focused on suicide prevention in young people. James was hoping to raise around £260 in sponsorship from various parties. After H&B’s £300 contribution, James has raised over £3,000!

The £300 from H&B will directly assist people with suicidal thoughts or having a mental health crisis. £10 pays for a half hour call with a Papyrus HOPELINE247 advisor. So that’s potentially 30 lives saved through Papyrus’ HOPELINE247 (0800 068 41 41).

James has always been community minded and worked in youth work and child safeguarding. He’d deal with children who had sadly died, and this was his first exposure to teen suicide.

A grieving mother introduced James to Papyrus, which he followed closely, and then 19 months ago joined the charity as Area Manager covering coast to coast from Birmingham to Scotland.

Hutchinson and Buchanan Partner, Richard Storey (left) presenting £300.00 cheque to James Parkes.

“I’ve been entering the London Marathon for years and getting a rejection email. It’s a ballot and you’re either lucky or not. This year I got my ballot through my membership at Ripon Runners who receive 2 ballot places each year.

“Once accepted, I decided to use this opportunity to continue to raise awareness for Papyrus, with a goal of raising £262 for the charity. This figure mushroomed, getting to over £3,000. And there are more donations to come through,” says James.

James successfully completed the 2024 London Marathon on 21 April with 50,000 other runners. A record-breaking 500,000 runners applied for a spot via the lottery.

Hutchinson & Buchanan supports Papyrus to help prevent young suicide