Long walk home from Essex for West Lothian man who tried to take his own life
A West Lothian man who attempted to take his own life after his world fell apart is currently walking from "Essex to Edinburgh" to raise suicide prevention and mental health awareness.
About 13 years ago, Craig Green found himself in the depths of despair when he split with his partner, lost his family, job and his home, all in a short space of time.
The 43-year-old dad-of-three from Dedridge in Livingston, decided that he didn't want to live any longer and tried to take his own life. However, an alert shopkeeper spotted tell-tale signs that Craig was struggling and helped save his life.
His life had been turned upside down following a series of personal hammer blows, while living in London.
'I tried to kill myself 13 years ago after splitting with my ex-partner, Craig admits. "I was staying in London and was quite isolated, I didn't really have any pals or get any help from anyone. I didn't speak out to anyone and that was the problem.
"In the space of about 10 days I lost my partner and the kids, my job, my house, and I was living in a bedsit in Stoke Newington.
"After the split my parents came down to visit me but it was after they went away. I planned my suicide over a couple of days and went into a shop where I was a regular and the guy kind of sussed that something was going on and followed me home without me knowing.
"Next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital. The guy from the shop had phoned the police and an ambulance and they managed to get to me in time. So, yeah, I did try and end my life.
'I was 30 at the time and my youngest daughter was only around a year old.'
Craig, who now lives in Essex, decided to take a step for each male suicide statistic and walk home to his mum's house in Livingston.
He said: 'I live in Brentwood and was sitting in the house about a month ago and I read a statistic that said more than 700,000 men die each year from suicide.
'I wondered where that many steps would take me and one of the locations on the list was Edinburgh, so I got it in my head I would walk it during the summer.
'I don't usually walk, so it's been tough. I'm quite a fat guy but I'm not unfit. A couple of weeks before I started I was doing about seven or eight miles a day. I do play a lot of golf.
'I set off on Thursday, July 24. I'm coming up the east coast and will travel up through Hull, Newcastle, Berwick, Dunbar, Haddington and Balerno. So, I'm not actually going through Edinburgh, I'll be on the outskirts.
'It's over 500 miles the journey I'm doing. The first two days I went from Brentwood to Cambridge but I pushed myself a bit too hard and my feet started getting sore. I'm wearing walking boots but might be better with a pair of trainers. I'm trying to do about 20 miles a day, but I don't have a set day for arriving.
'I work as a chef in a school in my local area, so I have the summer holidays off and we just broke up on July 22. I have a trip to Belgium planned with my missus next month, so I need to be back for that."
Craig's walk is also raising funds for two mental health charities; MIND, and Men and their Emotions.
'Men's mental health is quite a big thing just now, Craig continued. 'Men and their Emotions was started by the comedian Daniel O'Reilly as a Facebook group. I've been a member of it since it started.
'There's a lot of men out there who need help.'
The Livingston man is camping in a tent most nights with an occasional stay at B&Bs on the route north.
'I've not been a great person in the past, and like a lot of people I did a lot of stupid things when I was younger," Craig admitted. 'I just want to do something that I can be proud of leave a mark.'
Craig's online fundraiser can be found at: www.gofundme.com/f/im-walking-from-brentwood-to-edinburgh?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Daily Record
Long walk home from Essex for West Lothian man who tried to take his own life
'In the space of 10 days I lost my partner and the kids, my job, and my house' A West Lothian man who attempted to take his own life after his world fell apart is currently walking from "Essex to Edinburgh" to raise suicide prevention and mental health awareness. About 13 years ago, Craig Green found himself in the depths of despair when he split with his partner, lost his family, job and his home, all in a short space of time. The 43-year-old dad-of-three from Dedridge in Livingston, decided that he didn't want to live any longer and tried to take his own life. However, an alert shopkeeper spotted tell-tale signs that Craig was struggling and helped save his life. His life had been turned upside down following a series of personal hammer blows, while living in London. 'I tried to kill myself 13 years ago after splitting with my ex-partner, Craig admits. "I was staying in London and was quite isolated, I didn't really have any pals or get any help from anyone. I didn't speak out to anyone and that was the problem. "In the space of about 10 days I lost my partner and the kids, my job, my house, and I was living in a bedsit in Stoke Newington. "After the split my parents came down to visit me but it was after they went away. I planned my suicide over a couple of days and went into a shop where I was a regular and the guy kind of sussed that something was going on and followed me home without me knowing. "Next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital. The guy from the shop had phoned the police and an ambulance and they managed to get to me in time. So, yeah, I did try and end my life. 'I was 30 at the time and my youngest daughter was only around a year old.' Craig, who now lives in Essex, decided to take a step for each male suicide statistic and walk home to his mum's house in Livingston. He said: 'I live in Brentwood and was sitting in the house about a month ago and I read a statistic that said more than 700,000 men die each year from suicide. 'I wondered where that many steps would take me and one of the locations on the list was Edinburgh, so I got it in my head I would walk it during the summer. 'I don't usually walk, so it's been tough. I'm quite a fat guy but I'm not unfit. A couple of weeks before I started I was doing about seven or eight miles a day. I do play a lot of golf. 'I set off on Thursday, July 24. I'm coming up the east coast and will travel up through Hull, Newcastle, Berwick, Dunbar, Haddington and Balerno. So, I'm not actually going through Edinburgh, I'll be on the outskirts. 'It's over 500 miles the journey I'm doing. The first two days I went from Brentwood to Cambridge but I pushed myself a bit too hard and my feet started getting sore. I'm wearing walking boots but might be better with a pair of trainers. I'm trying to do about 20 miles a day, but I don't have a set day for arriving. 'I work as a chef in a school in my local area, so I have the summer holidays off and we just broke up on July 22. I have a trip to Belgium planned with my missus next month, so I need to be back for that." Craig's walk is also raising funds for two mental health charities; MIND, and Men and their Emotions. 'Men's mental health is quite a big thing just now, Craig continued. 'Men and their Emotions was started by the comedian Daniel O'Reilly as a Facebook group. I've been a member of it since it started. 'There's a lot of men out there who need help.' The Livingston man is camping in a tent most nights with an occasional stay at B&Bs on the route north. 'I've not been a great person in the past, and like a lot of people I did a lot of stupid things when I was younger," Craig admitted. 'I just want to do something that I can be proud of leave a mark.' Craig's online fundraiser can be found at:
Daily Record
6 days ago
- Daily Record
West Lothian couple had to 'hang out window and scream' as fire ripped through building
Courtney Ramage, 21, and her partner Yazmin have been left 'traumatised' after the blaze unexpectedly began in the middle of the night. A West Lothian woman has told of the horrifying moment her and her partner were trapped inside their flat after a fire broke out in the hallway of their building. Courtney Ramage, 21, and her partner Yazmin have been left 'traumatised' after the blaze unexpectedly began in the middle of the night. The terrifying ordeal took place in the early hours of July 8 when the landing outside Courtney's flat on Church Place in Fauldhouse burst into flames. Courtney was outside for a smoke around 12am while Yazmin was sleeping inside their flat. When Courtney re-entered the building, she encountered a fire inside the stairwell. She told Edinburgh Live: 'To this day, I still cant sleep properly. This is the first time it's ever happened.' Courtney ran back into her flat to awake Yazmin and grab her phone to call 999. However, the couple discovered the blaze was too large and hot for them to escape through the stairwell. Courtney added: 'I thought I was going to die. I called 999. They told us to go into living room and close the door. They told us to hang out the window to get fresh air and to put towels in front of door to prevent smoke getting in. 'We were screaming. We felt like we were going to die.' A spokesperson from Places for People, the housing association for Courtney's building, said they understood 'how worrying a fire in the building must have been for customers' and they 'checked on everyone following the incident to see if they were safe'. Courtney says the landing retained smoke and fire damage following the blaze, and her asthma has been more severe in the days following the fire. She added: 'I'm already asthmatic and having to walk through the soot and stuff has affected my lungs, causing me to have asthma attacks.' Places for People said: 'We carried out an immediate inspection after the fire last week. There are some works required now to repair fire damage in the hallway and doorways to some of the flats which are scheduled in and will be completed in the next few weeks.' A Places for People Scotland spokesperson said: 'We understand how worrying a fire in the building must have been for Customers and we checked on everyone following the incident to see if they were safe. 'We carried out an immediate inspection after the fire last week. This involved us speaking to Customers about any damage in their flats and we also had all common areas, including the hallways, cleared and cleaned to prevent soot contamination. 'There are some works required now to repair fire damage in the hallway and doorways to some of the flats which are scheduled in and will be completed in the next few weeks. This will also include any cleaning or works required in individual flats, although one Customer is refusing entry to do this. 'We can assure customers that we are working as quickly as possible to arrange for all works to be completed and we have been keeping them updated regularly. 'Our number one concern is the welfare of Customers, and we urge everyone to adhere to the fire safety guidance in place so any further incidents can be prevented.' A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: 'We attended an incident at 37 D Church Place in Fauldhouse after receiving a call at 12.01am on July 8. We mobilized three appliances to a small fire on the landing of the property in a residential building. 'There were three casualties, all of which were treated by SAS at the scene and released. The last appliance left at 1.38am.' A spokesperson from the Scottish Ambulance Service said: 'We received a call on July 8 to attend an incident on Church Place. We dispatched one ambulance and our special operations team to the scene. No patients required transport to hospital.' A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 12.25am on Tuesday, 8 July, 2025, officers attended a report of a fire within a common area of a block of flats on Church Place, Fauldhouse. 'Enquiries were carried out and have concluded, no further police action will be taken. 'Anyone with any further information is asked to contact 101.'
Powys County Times
24-07-2025
- Powys County Times
Newtown health campus plan 'could harm Llanidloes services'
Concerns have been raised about the future of health services in Llanidloes amid proposals for a state-of-the-art health and wellbeing campus in Newtown which could open by 2028. Powys County Council and Powys Teaching Health Board are developing plans for new facilities near Park Street which, as part of the first of three phases, will include a clinic, dental and pharmacy provision, a new library, training facilities for health and social care staff, housing support, and a women's health hub. A replacement school building for Newtown's largest primary school Ysgol Calon y Dderwen will also be built on the same site. The second and third phases include replacing Newtown hospital and expanding the range of diagnostic and treatment services on the health and wellbeing campus. RECOMMENDED READING Llanidloes Town Council was told by Deputy Mayor Cllr Dan Craig on Monday (July 21) that there were "lots of good ideas" from a meeting with Powys Teaching Health Board's North Powys Wellbeing team. "The question was where does Llanidloes Hospital fit in this?" Cllr Craig asked. "I don't think Llanidloes is in the reckoning. They said it was not affecting Llanidloes whatsoever. "It did look like a good idea and if Llanidloes fits in with that it'll be good. I think if we were to oppose it, we could be in a worse situation." Cllr Margot Jones, who is also Arwystli Medical Practice manager, said she was "very sceptical" about the proposals with Llanidloes "already losing services". "This can never be a white elephant," she said. "They will take away services from other communities to help Newtown. "Just be very careful. We've lost a lot of services and they're creaking. "They've had seven years and they're still writing business plans. It's ridiculous how much money is being spent. "It's all exciting ideas to bring the community together but when something isn't working what will they close? They'll close day services in Llanidloes. "This hub will never become a white elephant, but Llanidloes could. Be very, very careful." Cllr Gareth Morgan told fellow councillors that he too was "desperately concerned" about Llanidloes Hospital. "It will be inevitably affected," he said. "[PTHB] will run it down and the next thing it will close. "We should insist that the future of Llanidloes Hospital being an integral part of the scheme. "People may have to travel 14 miles to Newtown and some can't cope with that. "Services are obviously being run down quickly and we will be left with nothing. "The concept [of the wellbeing campus] is fine, but they simply cannot ignore Llanidloes." Cllr Alan Bennett said health provision in Mid Wales was going from "bad to worse" with the Wales Air Ambulance base closure in Welshpool and the proposed closure of the stroke unit at Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth. "We're going to lose out greatly," he said. Cllr Andrew Morel said public services across the county were being shifted into fewer towns, focussing on 'hub towns' such as Welshpool, Newtown, Llandrindod, Brecon, and Ystradgynlais. "Are those hub towns really the best places to serve our communities?" he asked. PTHB says the latest proposals for the first phase will be publicly available and open to views later this summer. Separately, Llanidloes-based Arwystli Medical Practice has asked its patients to make their feelings known to Powys Teaching Health Board by Sunday (July 27) about adult physical and mental health community services across the county. Margot Jones, practice manager, said: "It is important that you know about this survey that Powys Health Board have put out as an end to engagement process. "You will all be aware of the six-month engagement process that the Health Board embarked upon last autumn, with the downgrading of Llanidloes Hospital. "Please make your feelings known, either through this survey or by written submission."
