A KEYNSHAM mum is to run in the Bristol Half Marathon in memory of her nephew, who took his own life last year.
Amelia Care will raise money for two charities backed by the Cameron Williams Foundation.
Cameron, of Downend, died last year, aged 19, after being left devastated by the death of a friend and colleague in a road crash.
His family say the former Downend School and Stanbridge Primary pupil had struggled with survivor’s guilt and post-traumatic stress disorder after the accident, in which he was uninjured but fellow passenger and scaffolder Tyler Carley died.
They have set up the foundation to try to end the stigma around discussing men’s mental health, to fund charities providing practical support and to direct men to help when they need it.
The foundation’s official launch event will be a family fun day on May 25 at the Trident pub in Downend.
The event, which takes place from 2pm to 8pm, will feature live entertainment from ex-Soul Train Radio DJ Rob Mason, live dance, a ‘grill and chill’ barbecue, face painting, a bouncy castle, raffles, auctions and stalls.
Cameron’s aunt Amelia said: “All proceeds raised will go towards supporting the foundation’s mental health programs and outreach activities, including safe social spaces, peer support, and mental health training.
“The foundation was established to support local men through difficult times, break the stigma surrounding mental health, and provide community-driven support initiatives.”
Amelia is one of a team of six runners who have been training ahead of the Bristol Half-Marathon on May 11 to raise money for two charities.
SOBS – Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide – has been supporting Amelia and Cameron’s mum Melissa through their grief, with a support group that meets in Bristol.
Talk Club is a charity helping men to improve their mental health through talking groups and therapies, and an online community.
The other runners are Danielle Thomas, a family friend, Finn Griffiths and Kyran Cotton, who were friends of Cameron from his time at Downend School, and Max Storie and Dylan Hooper, who knew Cameron when they were students at Bristol Technology and Engineering Academy in Stoke Gifford.
Amelia, who had talked about running a half-marathon with Cameron before he died, said training for the run had helped her mental health “massively”.
She said: “I’d been dropping my girls off at school then spending the day in bed crying. I woke up one day and thought, I can’t do that any more, I’m going to run the half-marathon.”
The runners have around £2,500 in sponsorship pledges so far. An online donation page can be found at gofund.me/00f4aae7
Pictured above, Danielle Thomas, Amelia Care, Finn Griffiths, Max Storie and Dylan Hooper will be running in memory of Cameron Williams, below
