A CUMBRIAN MP has said he is 'absolutely delighted' after Prime Minister Rish Sunak agreed to meet with 'powerful' mental health campaigners Three Dads Walking - after he raised the issue in Prime Minister's Questions earlier this week.

Penrith and the Borders MP Dr Neil Hudson has been working with his constituent Andy Airey, along with the other two dads Tim Owen and Mike Palmer, on their 'powerful campaign' to try and improve and address suicide prevention in schools and educational settings, after their personal tragedies of losing their daughters Sophie, Emily and Beth.

Silence fell over the House of Commons as the Penrith MP paid tribute to the ‘3 Dads Walking’, a group of suicide-bereaved fathers.

Together, they have raised more than £1million for young-suicide prevention charity PAPYRUS following the tragic losses of their daughters to suicide.

Speaking to the Cumberland News shortly after leaving the Chamber, Dr Hudson said: "I was absolutely delighted the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has agreed to meet with me and the three dads.

"Having a special meeting with the Prime Minister on a fixed issue - that’s something that’s very difficult to secure, so I am delighted for Andy, Tim and Mike that we are going to meet with the Prime Minister and see what can be done."

 

 

Dr Hudson has long supported the Three Dads Walking, joining them on the Penrith leg of their mammoth charity trek, tabling a successful Early Day Motion supported by politicians from across the political spectrum, and helping to bolster their widely successful petition.

READ MORE: PM Rishi Sunak agrees to meet with 3 Dads Walking to discuss mental health provision

The petition to make suicide prevention a compulsory part of the school curriculum has garnered more than 157,000 signatures and will be debated in Parliament on March 13.

Talking about the impact the Three Dads Walking have had, Dr Hudson said: “I was able to join the three dads as they walked through Penrith and you could just see the goodwill from people coming towards them, and actually hearing the stories from the three dads of people they have interacted with while on their walk, who’ve actually said to them you doing this is going to make me look into my own mental health.

“I think Andy, Tim and Mike, through their bravery, are saving lives."

Dr Hudson is hopeful that the meeting with the Prime Minister will take place in the near future.

He said: “I expect that we will be getting our diaries together with the Prime Minister's team very soon - obviously you can imagine that the Prime Minister has a lot of commitments - but I’m hoping that it will be soon.”

READ MORE: 3 Dads Walking to be honoured at Pride of Britain Awards