Brothers in arms to raise funds for mental health charity

The longstanding friends – who attended St Andrews Primary together (as did their dads) – will set off next month in aid of Brothers In Arms.The Scottish charity is fighting the battle against suicides in young men through a “prevention through self-management” strategy.

Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in the United Kingdom, with 18 deaths every single day.

Craig and Chris have already raised just over £3,000, before they take their first step on the near-100 mile route, and have revised their target to £3,500.The £3,000 already raised will pay for the Brothers-Thrive app for one month which includes "live coaching" from mental fitness coaches (licensed clinical psychologists) for up to 3000 men.

Currently the charity supports around 500 men a week through this program, using digital technology that men can use to enable them to self-manage and engage with their own mental health.

Craig said: “Like many good ideas, it just came up naturally through two friends having a blether and quite quickly we’d both committed to doing it.

"We are in a position where we can raise awareness and help others – and it’s a cause we both believe in.

"The statistics for male suicide are shocking, and we need to do something about it!” Not content with going to schools together, playing football together (Lennox Football Club) and growing up together, the pair now work together at FirstPoint USA, the US scholarships specialists, having both enjoyed the US sports scholarship experience themselves.Chris added: “We’ve done a lot together and this is another adventure for us to enjoy together, while raising money for a truly great cause.

"The reaction and donations so far have been amazing – we’ll keep going and keep raising as much as we possibly can.”

If you want to support the boys you can donate by visiting https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/craig-chris.

To learn more about the charity visit www.brothersinarmsscotland.co.uk.