Honorary Fellowships by the University of Winchester

Celebrating our work to raise awareness of suicide prevention and help save young lives

We were delighted to receive honorary fellowships from the University of Winchester on 20th October, recognising the work we have done as 3 Dads Walking to raise awareness of suicide prevention and campaign for change.

We are particularly grateful to Dr Simon Rees, Associate Dean at the University, who nominated us.

Simon had followed our campaign from its early days, initially through his professional interest in our work and later through a deeply personal connection. In 2022, Simon lost his 21-year-old nephew, Eric, to suicide.

In his nomination, Simon highlighted the importance of encouraging open conversations about mental health and suicide prevention, particularly in schools. He also spoke about the impact our voices as dads had made to his own family, giving his children the confidence to share memories of their cousin and talk openly about their loss.

Knowing the personal significance behind Simon’s nomination made the occasion especially meaningful to us. We are very grateful to him for his support and for taking the time to acknowledge our work.

With Dr Simon Rees after the ceremony in Winchester Cathedral

We would like to thank the University of Winchester for this honour, and Simon for his nomination and support.

But, as always, we want to bring the focus back to Sophie, Beth and Emily.

Everything we do is rooted in our love for our daughters and our determination that their lives, and their deaths, should make a difference. We will continue to do everything in our power to help prevent other families from experiencing the same devastating loss.

We accept this honour in their memory and will continue to walk, campaign and speak out for as long as we can make a difference.

Sophie, Beth and Emily will always be at the heart of 3 Dads Walking.