Shildon Methodist Church have given their support to Michael Thompson, who has been presented with a sponsorship cheque ahead of a charity run he is preparing for.

Michael is getting ready to run from Glasgow to Edinburgh to raise funds for the charity CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) which exists to prevent male suicide in the UK.

The ratio of male to female suicide has shown a sustained rise over the last 30 years. In 2014 there were 6,109 suicides in the UK, of which 76%, or 4,623, were male, and suicide currently stands as the biggest single killer of men aged under 45 in this country.