Shirley Ballas takes on Wing Walk, Skydive and Zip Line to raise money for MH charity

TV Star and Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) ambassador Shirley Ballas announced she will take to the sky in a trio of daredevil challenges this August to raise funds for the suicide prevention charity.

The Strictly Come Dancing head judge is ditching the dancefloor and facing her fear of heights by taking on a zip line, a wing walk AND a skydive – all to help stop more lives being lost to suicide. Shirley’s Skyathlon will take place in the UK in August, with Shirley first taking to the world’s fastest zipline on Tuesday 8th, before doing a wing walk at 700ft on Thursday 10th, and finishing off with a monumental 15,000ft skydive on Saturday 12th.

Shirley Ballas, who sadly lost her brother and a number of friends to suicide, is calling on people to stand with her and help save more lives and help CALM be there for more people in their darkest moments. Their life-saving helpline staff chat to someone who’s struggling every 59 seconds. Help them continue to be there by donating today: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/skyathlon

The Strictly star is a longstanding CALM ambassador and was part of the charity’s largest ever suicide initiative The Last Photo that shined a light on the heartbreaking reality that suicidal doesn’t always look suicidal. Every day 18 people in the UK tragically take their own lives. CALM exists to change this – by offering life-saving support, creating culture changing campaigns, and bringing people together across the country to reject living miserably.
Ballas

Shirley Ballas, commenting on the fundraising challenge, said: “I’m taking on the Skyathlon because I’m terrified of heights. But there’s nothing that terrifies me more than the thought of losing another person to suicide. I’ve lost my brother, I’ve lost close friends and I don’t want anyone else to go through that pain.

The devastating news is that 18 people in the UK take their own life every day. But CALM exists to change that. That’s why I’m a proud ambassador of the charity. They’re here to help more people see tomorrow, to show that things can change – and the money I raise will be vital in helping them save more lives. Please donate whatever you can as I take on this challenge.”

Simon Gunning, CALM CEO, said: “Shirley is an absolute inspiration for not only tackling her fear of heights by taking on the Skyathlon challenge, but also for the work she’s doing to shine a light on suicide and help raise vital funds for our life-saving services.

The sad and infuriating truth is that 125 people a week die by suicide in the UK. A national tragedy as horrific as it is preventable, as shameful for society as it is stigmatised in culture.

And with demand for our services at an all time high, we’re asking people to help us save lives when it’s needed most by donating to Shirley’s Skyathlon. It costs just £8 to answer a potentially life-saving call to our helpline. Your donations will help make sure we’re there for everyone who’s struggling with suicidal thoughts.”

What your donation can help fund:
£8 – could help answer a life-saving call
£24 – could provide four families with suicide bereavement support materials
£50 – could pay for the digital licences, equipment and technology for a worker to receive potential lifesaving calls for three days
£80 – could provide a helpline worker with a month of professional support for their own wellbeing and development
£270 – could enable CALM to create information guides