A brave family are set to take part in a fundraising skydive in aid of the Big Boys Do Cry campaign being run by Ashford and Tenterden Samaritans.

Ashford MP Damian Green visited the charity’s base in Queen Street, Ashford last Thursday in support of the campaign.

Mr Green met with organiser and founder member of the campaign Ray Hulme, 69, and director of Ashford Samaritans Lesley Sutton to discuss the fundraising event.

Mr Hulme and five family members including his son Warren, 39, who has flown over from Canada, daughters Kelly, 39 from Northampton and Zoe, 41, from Herne Bay, son-in-law Peter Lea, and cousin local GP Andrew Taylor will fly three miles high before skydiving
in tandem and parachuting back down.

Mr Hulme from Dymchurch said: “The skydive is from the highest level you can jump without oxygen and we are having to travel down to Somerset to one of the few airfields that will take you that high.

“We had to do something spectacular in order to raise the £15,000 we calculate we needed to run our campaign and we have already reached almost £10,000.”

Big Boys Do Cry - a poster campaign by Ashford Samaritans - aims to break down the barriers that prevent suicidal men from seeking help.

Mr Hulme said: “It’s a real problem for us. But an even bigger problem is that we can’t reach out to these people because men see it as a sign of weakness to ask for help.”

The Mayor of Ashford Cllr George Koowaree recently unveiled campaign posters in the Civic Centre which will be seen throughout the area and are also featured on buses.

The campaign is initially being trialled in Ashford and will expand to other parts of Kent over the next two or three months at a cost of
about £90,000.

Middle-aged men account for almost 55% of all suicides, and it kills more men in that age group than heart disease, cancer or traffic accidents.

The skydive takes place next Wednesday.

To obtain a poster to display in your pub, club or sports facilities, email bigboysdocry@hotmail.com

To donate to the Big Boys Do Cry campaign, send a cheque to Ashford Samaritans, 22 Queen Street, Ashford, Kent or visit virginmoneygiving.com/bigboysdocry