Walk of Hope 2026 !
On Saturday 28th March we embarked on the Walk of Hope 2026 up Moel Famau in order to raise money and awareness for the Wigan based suicide prevention charity, Epic Hope.
It wasn’t just a fundraiser, it was an opportunity to commemorate two of our engineers, Gaz and Brett, who sadly lost their lives to suicide. We were joined by there friends and family alongside coworkers, friends of the business and many more, and together we were able to celebrate their lives.
Epic Hope
EPiC HOPE was established to prevent suicides and provide emotional and mental health support to the people of the Wigan and Leigh boroughs.
They do this in multiple ways.
They provide safe spaces, EPiC HOPE Harbours, which are held throughout the boroughs to provide peer support for anyone who needs a listening ear, who is struggling, and/or is close to crisis. They they can provide a number of resources and if required. A number of lives have been saved from suicide due to using these facilities.
Their outreach project, HOPE Circuits, is a service where their trained suicide support volunteers visit areas throughout the boroughs where suicide rates are known to be high. This is where they provide intervention, support, and comfort, along with HOPE & Care packages.
Their training department delivers the world’s leading and evidence-based suicide prevention training along with their own EPiC Method one hour interactive sessions, their aim being to equip as many people as possible with this life saving skills.
The Day Itself
Lots of planning went into the day, goody bags, t-shirts, organising times and locations. We went as far to do a trial run, where some of our staff including the director, Jo, went to Moel Famau to see if the walk was doable in January.
But all the planning definitely paid off! We had a massive turn out of over 60 participants including staff, the team from Deeside, family, friends and most importantly, the family and friends of Gaz and Brett. The ages of our walkers ranged from as young as 2 all the way up to 65.
It was a great day, we set off around 10 am for a warm but very windy walk! Many of us met for a drink in the local pub afterwards as a nice way to get together and finish the day. Here we handed out medals and certificates to congratulate and thank all of our walkers.
Not only did we have a great day, we managed to raise over £5,000, meaning we surpassed our original goal and are able to fund some really important and key work for Epic Hope such as funding for crisis harbours and more capabilities of expanding. This isn’t just funding a charity, it’s funding the possibility of saving many lives!
A Word From the Families
Graham, Gaz’s dad, said ‘Me and my family felt a sense of peace doing the walk in memory of Gareth and Bret, I was brought to tears a couple of times during the day. Jo, Mike and Maddi have been marvellous in what they organised. It’s overwhelming to me that you all thought a lot about Gareth and for that we as a family are most grateful’.
Demi, Brett’s daughter, said ‘My Dad worked many years at Metro Rod before he sadly lost his life to suicide, my Dad worked for two other companies after his time at Metro Rod and even though my Dad wasn’t employed there at the time of his passing, as a company and as individuals they have been nothing but compassionate and thoughtful all the way from the day of his passing on the 24th May 2025 right through to the walk organised to honour his and Gaz’s life on the 28th March 2026. I would like to personally thank Maddi for all her thought and effort organising the Walk of Hope 2026 in hope of change around the stigma of mental health, in particular men’s mental health. We had an amazing day! From the bottom of Brett’s children’s hearts, Demi,Cole and Blake, thank you ‘
And finally, we would just like to thank our community, those who joined us, donated or helped along the way, because without all of you, this wouldn’t have even been possible.
Thank you
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