Pair complete over one million steps for suicide prevention

Matt Holman, 51, and Katie Le Flem, 53, clocked up around 540 miles during the One Million Steps challenge, which ran from September 10 to October 10.

To reach the total, it meant they had to cover a distance of 18 miles every day on average.

The couple raised £5,398 for the Baton of Hope UK, a suicide prevention initiative which aims to change the way society talks about suicide and encourage more open and compassionate conversations.

Matt Holman, 51, and Katie Le Flem, 53 (Image: Newsquest)

Katie finished on 1,030,529 steps, while Matt reached 1,128,150 steps.

Matt, founder of Simpila Wellbeing and creator of the challenge, said: “The reason we are doing it is for community, a lot of people can’t do this, and we are raising awareness of suicide prevention and mental health.

“It’s about bringing people together.”

He said that when the walking started to get tough, he would “remember the reason” they were doing it.

Alongside their daily walking, the pair took part in scheduled walks around town and walked with the Baton of Hope group on September 25.

The couple spent a minimum of four hours walking each day, sometimes waking up at 6.30am to fit in their steps.

Matt Holman, 51, and Katie Le Flem, 53 (Image: Newsquest)

For Katie, one of the most powerful parts of the challenge was meeting people along the way and hearing about their own experiences of suicide and bereavement.

She said: “People have stopped us and asked what we are walking for. A lady stopped us to say thank you. She had lost three family members to suicide.

“It’s been quite moving for us.”

Reflecting on the challenge, Matt described himself as “physically very tired”, but said he felt privileged to have been able to raise money and complete it.

To donate to the cause, see here; www.justgiving.com/page/matthew-holman-1millionsteps