The #4N;cky Foundation - Supporting Mental Health, Together

We believe that mental health is just as important as physical health. Our mission is to create a safe space where individuals can learn, share, and seek help without judgment."

Great Welsh Marathon

The 4N;cky Foundation manned a feed station as North Dock, supporting every runner on course. So proud of our charity runners, You are all amazing.

We would like to thank all our runners and volunteers.

Thank you for helping us make a difference

More photos in the Gallery page

Mikes Tunnel Run

Mike did 100 miles then a Lap for luck to give us time to do the 30 minute journey there.

=102 miles in a tunnel4Nicky.

What a race! What an achievement.

He could have carried on but knew he could only walk now and would probably need to call it a day 3 am ish ! And you should have seen the state on us trying to get his gear down the mile cycle track in pitch black at 7 pm !

I’m so proud of him. He’s resting up now and going through all your amazing messages.

Also….Alex the current leader , is femaleShe is a powerhouse. She is insane. Just unbelievable and unstoppable.

Mike, you’re awesome and you’ve definitely proved that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that you have made the right decision.

Nicky would be sooo proud of you.

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE SUPPORT

The stories ! Oh my I can’t wait for him to share these with you. I’ve heard a few and .

So for now it’s goodnight while Mike takes a rest.

Good luck to those 16 left in !

At the end he said “ sorry Nicky “

No no, there’s no sorry here. This is simply incredible. Nicky would be sooo so proud.

We are all proud

NO - you’re not ever entering this again !!!!

Donation Page

Can you help Michael Thomas raise over £250 to Mental health, Wellbeing and awareness.. Please donate to their JustGiving Crowdfunding Page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/michael-thomas-995?utm_term=VWnKzYAdM

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We dedicate today to honouring and remembering Lee, forever 19💙.

Here is a message from Pixie after seeing our reflection video, the most wonderful lady who looked after Lee from the age of 10, and has been planting flowers each day since starting our daily dedications, to honour each individual- because we will remember them all, forever 🙏🏻.

“I Can’t stop the tears. I hid the photos and built my barrier. I needed this. Thank you. And thank you for including him. Sadly his mum had many problems, so he mostly lived with us. I remember finding him hiding under my son’s bed one Christmas morning because she and her boyfriend were fighting in the night on Xmas eve. He thought I would send him home! of course I didn’t, we shared out the presents and had a fab Xmas day, I can see him now laughing with a cracker hat on. He never went home after that. He was 10 then.
He had his own flat at 17 and met a girl, had a beautiful daughter. She moved away and he was so upset. But this…this waste of his life…it doesnt make sense. I don’t f****** understand it. For the first few years I made myself believe he’d run away somewhere, kept catching glimpses of him in streets and windows. I’d call him but the person would turn and it was never Lee. Lee has really gone, he willl always be 19 and it’s not fair, it’s not fair 😭 x x x
I just want one more hug.
What would he be doing now I wonder, if he were still here? X”

“Oh god my heart, my heart…. my beautiful Lee. I loved him so much. He had a wicked sense of humour and was amazing at climbing trees. He worked in a car wash and was going to college to become a mechanic.
I miss him so very much x x x”

Please, can we all think of Lee today, and all those special people in Lee’s life, along with all those taken too soon🙏🏻💙

Missed forever, loved for eternity. https://open.spotify.com/track/4rtlsehzOaTGkxx2VfUMym?si=5U2RiUrqTXOOy9_wrteb8g&context=spotify%3Asearch

Today is dedicated to
Ashton, forever 20
❤️🧡💙

“Ashton would be the last person you’d think to give up on life. What ever sport he turned to seemed to so natural. He was competitive and for a young man he was so loyal and loving, and the best friend to people. Ashton was always cheering people up, literally right up until the last minute. The baby in the photo is his daughter, his two eyes. You never saw him without her x

Thank you to Ashton’s family for giving us the privilege to honour your beautiful boy.

Please, whatever your day holds today, can we think of Ashton and his family and friends, as well as all those taken too soon from this world.

Remembered forever, loved for eternity.

How romantic is this
The Barrow’s ran the Paris Marathon together 💖💖💖💖.

Every mile side by side. Both have suffered injuries leading up to the big day which is soul destroying after the months and months of training towards a marathon!
But:
They both got to the start line and of-course they smashed it and made it to the finish to pick up that well deserved medal🎉.

Jo, we know there was a lot of pain along the way for more reasons than one, yet you powered on like a true warrior! In Jo’s words , “ it was gross “. 🥹😩🫣😂sorry but that made me chuckle a little !

A massage from Jo, “It was an absolute honour and privilege to run in the 4N;cky top around the streets of Paris. Supporting our friends and the 4N;cky charity is super important to us . Tomorrow is waiting xxx”

Jo ran through the streets of Paris repping our 4N;cky vest #Running4Nicky #running4mentalhealth #running4suicideprevention raising awareness and funds for our charity.

Nicky talked about travelling on that very last day, so seeing his name travelling through the streets of Paris is so special. Keeping his memory alive while helping others.

Jo has raised an incredible £258 which will be an incredible help with our forthcoming sessions for those in the community struggling with trauma and mental health issues.

It’s because of people like this that we have been able to put some firm plans in place. Together we are making a difference.

Check out the mile after mile selfies below💖
Huge well done both.
🧡🧡🧡🧡

Today we honour and remember 2 special friends of Jordan, from the Bunkhouse live music venue, Swansea.

🧡Jack and Holly🧡

I approached Jordan about a memorial gig night in Nicky’s memory, to which Jordan gave the most emotional, sincere and heartfelt response.
It came to light that mental health and suicide prevention is a cause so very close to Jordan’s heart. Jordan devastatingly lost his best friends, jack in 2013, and Holly in 2019.
Here are a few words from Jordan.

“Jack, my best friends favourite song, Sunday Morning Call- Oasis.

Holly’s favourite song, house Arcade Fire - The Suburbs.

Kills me everytime! A hole in my heart that was never replaced💔”

Jordan, The Bunkhouse.

Jordan is helping us host the memorial gig in July at his venue, the Bunkhouse. A venue that Nicky loved, and it holds so many memories for us as a family.
Jordan is very generously donating all door proceeds to our charity. This will be in memory of all those taken by suicide, and will provide so much help to those struggling.

Please, whatever your day holds today, can we think of Jack and Holly and their
Families and friends, as well as all those taken too soon from this world.

Remembered forever, loved for eternity. https://open.spotify.com/track/4rtlsehzOaTGkxx2VfUMym?si=T1KMZuicS-qz2XvZzGP1ig&context=spotify%3Asearch

Today we honour and remember Carl Creswell.
❤️ 🖤

Here’s a message we recieved about Carl,

“Carl was a coach in Celtic Tri. The most intelligent, knowledgeable but approachable man. A gentle giant.

During his years coaching he inspired countless adults & juniors to achieve their full potential. He was the chief technical knowledge Guru, and was affectionately known as Stata

Carl completed Iron Man Wales in 2015 with grit, determination & perfect planning. He never gave up & even swam 2.4 miles breaststroke!

Carl sadly died in 2022 by suicide. He’ll always be missed & remembered.

I’d love to have one more conversation with him. 💔”

Thank you to Darren Heath and Carl’s family for allowing us honour and remember Carl in our reflection.
❤️ 🖤

Please, whatever your day holds today, can we think of Carl and his family and friends, as well as all those taken too soon from this world.

Remembered forever, loved for eternity.

We dedicate today to father and son, Anthony and Ashley Simpson 💙 💚.

Such heartbreaking tragedy. Ashley lost his life to suicide in 2008, age 19. Then his Dad, Anthony was also taken in the same way in 2009 age 47.

This clearly shows that there is not enough help out there. This should never ever have happened. This should never happen to anyone.

Thank you Alex, for giving us the privilege of honouring and remembering your beautiful brother and Dad.

“Dad & Ashley both shared a love for pigeon racing. Dad loved Cher Ashley didn’t share the same passion there haha!!

I love looking back- takes me back to happy times x”

Alex,
Ashley’s brother, Anthony’s son.

Please, whatever your day holds today, can we think of Anthony and Ashley and their family, and all those taken too soon from this world.

Remembered forever, loved for eternity.
💚💙

Today is dedicated to

Tomas David Smerdon
Forever 22
💙
Tom was a funny, caring boy, with a cheeky grin. He had lots of friends from school, hobbies, and our village. He also had many girlfriends! He loved his dog Dre, a whippet cross lurcher or as Tom said he’s a mixture of 8 dogs!! He found Dre on the roadside as a very young puppy and brought him home. They were inseparable. Tom drove a Land Rover Defender and Dre was always beside him.
Tom loved off road motor bikes too and most weekends he’d pack a rucksack with snacks and go out on his bike, Dre following him.
He loved travelling and had many trips planned with family and friends. He’d visited New York, Las Vegas, Florida, Dubai and many European countries and ski resorts. Tom loved playing Rugby and was chosen for the Blues and offered a scholarship for Rugby League in Wigan. Tom also achieved his padi diving certificate .
Tom loved Sub Zero ice cream, Krispy Crème donuts, Chinese food, and anything with caramel, particularly waffles and crepes.
Tom was the fun uncle, the ‘Funcle ‘, he was the one to do all the silly things with my grandsons and buy them the noisiest tackiest toys as gifts which obviously they loved, their mum not so much!
There was always fun and laughter when Tom was around, he cared deeply, laughed loudly and his smile lit up any room.
He is missed so very much by everyone, all his family and friends, but especially by his little nephews.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to write a little about our Tom
Nicola- Tom’s mum
#4Tom

Please, whatever your day holds today, can we think of Tomas and his family, and all those taken too soon from this world.

Remembered forever, loved for eternity💙.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be individually honouring the beautiful souls from our reflection video.

Today is dedicated to

Ieuan Bradley Booth
Forever 24

Here’s more about Ieuan💚

“Ieus favourite colour was blue, and he had beautiful blue eyes. He loved the band neck deep and his sister use to pinch his neck deep beanie hat and he’d go mad 🤣 his fave food was pasta and quorn southern fried dippers, I still struggle to buy those. He loved gaming with his friends. Most of all ieu was a gentle soul, a peace keeper, he hated all the bad in the world. He had such good values. He was loyal. He had such a good sense of humour. He never met a stranger, he had 100s of friends. No one has ever had a bad word to say about him. He helped so many of them through their dark times. He sadly had suicidal thoughts for years.

God Caroline I miss him so much 😢. Thank you for including him xx”

From Ieuan’s beautiful mum, Ann.

Please, whatever your day holds today, can we think of Ieuan and his family, and all those taken too soon from this world.

Remembered forever, loved for eternity.
💚 https://open.spotify.com/track/4rtlsehzOaTGkxx2VfUMym?si=ug_jvdC2S5OOent09dA52g&context=spotify%3Asearch

We have so much to say but need a little time first to process how incredible, emotional, heartbreaking and heartwarming, last night was. Along with all of that, Ryan Jones MBE definitely made sure there was plenty of fun too!

Please watch our special reflection video attached, honouring those tragically taken by suicide. Make sure it’s a safe time for you as it’s an emotional but very special watch. Make sure you have your sound on too 🎶.

Missed forever, loved for eternity.

For now we would like to thank every single person who supported us by either attending, helping, donating, buying raffles, donating prizes, and sending beautiful touching messages. We will do a full post tomorrow with pics of the evening.

Last night we raised an incredible £8097.68
🥹🙏🏻
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
🧡🧡🧡🧡

🎥 Marc Barrow 🙏🏻
🎶 The Stray Pursuit

To all our guests, we can’t wait to welcome you to our charity ball tomorrow night.
We have an amazing night lined up for you🏉 🎶 💃

Our room decs are going to look stunning thanks to Owain Humphreys 🌴 and Juliette Newbrook💖.
Juliette’s been working hard with every spare minute, and we are so so grateful!🧡

We can’t wait to show everyone the pics of the night thanks to @elites.photography1 📸

We will be having a very special moment of reflection to honour loved ones tragically taken by suicide. For this poignant moment we would to thank @marcbarrow 🙏🏻. We will be posting this special video on our social media after our event.

Thank you to everyone for your support as always and special thanks to all the amazing businesses who have donated raffle prizes and auction items. Please check out these businesses below.

Thank you to @thetradecentrewales for being our headline sponsor, and thank you to @lloydandwhytecommunitybroking Swansea for generously providing us with match funding.

Diolch yn fawr iawn.

🧡🧡🧡🧡

Swansea Sports Awards 2024, in association with Freedom Leisure

🏆Winner Announcement🏆

We are thrilled to announce that the winners of the Special Recognition Award, sponsored by 60+ Active Leisure Scheme, are Carima Heaven & Michael Thomas.

Well-done @mikeyt002, truly inspirational in raising awareness for mental health.

From @anthony.fox.7505 and his team - This May, a group of 20 walkers, including myself and the team at ll Lloyd & Whyte Community Broking Swansea, will be taking on the Yorkshire 3 peaks to raise much needed funds for The #4N;cky Foundation.

Any spare pennies will help the foundation to carry on its great work and make this challenge worthwhile.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-tackle-the-yorkshire-3-peaks-for-the-4ncky-foundati?attribution_id=sl:7f55e9e4-931c-4a90-ad07-0ebd31e37bd2&lang=en_GB&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_content=amp13_t1&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawJXfvpleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHT25oZxLK64IYvbvd3Ihf2Bfg8Pme3PJ1CqNhLNph5hRRXpSKaVDnl4xzQ_aem_2nRePM7dHX1KQl9ArMvaxg

@lloydandwhytecommunitybroking
@anthony.fox.7505

Check out these amazing businesses. Thank you to each and every one of them who has donated to our charity ball raffle 🧡🧡🧡🧡

#communitySpirit
#supportlocalbusiness
#mentalhealthawareness
#suicideprevention

Thank you to these amazing businesses who have donated to our charity ball auction.
To our guests- take a look and see what you fancy bidding for on the night 🎉🧡🧡🧡🧡

#supportlocalbusiness
#CommunitySpirit
#mentalhealthawareness
#suicideprevention

https://businesswales.gov.wales/news-and-blog/neurodiversity-celebration-week-2025

Mel & Ade loving a bit of feed station volunteering #volunteering #suicideprevention #mentalhealthawareness #running4nicky #running4mentalhealth #swanseavaletri #gjendurancecoaching @nutrition_studio_meleri check out the volunteer tops sponsored by @gjendurance_coaching_ and @lloydandwhytecommunitybroking

Happy International
women’s Day, 2025.
We have a few messages for you all.
🧡🧡🧡🧡
#YourMentalHealthMatters
#mentalhealthawareness
#suicideprevention
#keepinspiringothers
#wellBeing
#InternationalWomensDay2025

Please feel free to post a photo of the women in your life who show love, protection, commitment, strength, determination, encouragement, and who inspire you.

I’ve tried this personally many times, especially when driving as that’s when I can become overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions. It’s a huge help. It really does bring the anxiety levels down. Please pass this on to those who may benefit 🙏🏻

🧡🧡🧡🧡

Good morning, everyone,
I took a few days to gather my thoughts before making this post, and I just want to say a massive thank you to all of you for your support, encouragement, and generous donations over the past few weeks.
Together, we’ve raised an incredible £1,352—funds that will provide valuable support to families coping with the sudden loss of a child and aid in suicide prevention. But beyond the donations, we’ve also helped spread awareness about The #4N;cky Foundation and taken another step toward breaking the stigma around mental health and wellbeing and keeping Nicky’s memory alive.
While I’m disappointed that I couldn’t complete The Tunnel Ultra, I know I made the right decision at that moment based on how I was feeling. I won’t go into detail, but for the triathletes out there, let’s just say I had a massive Taylor Knibb moment , and it was all downhill from there. No excuses—it just wasn’t my day!
Much love to you all, and thank you again for your continued support. It truly means the world.

https://youtu.be/tX8TgVR33KM?si=ISCXZ0K4pbtfPm19

The #4N;cky Foundation

Mike did 100 miles then a Lap for luck to give us time to do the 30 minute journey there.
=102 miles in a tunnel4Nicky.

What a race! What an achievement.

He could have carried on but knew he could only walk now and would probably need to call it a day 3 am ish ! And you should have seen the state on us trying to get his gear down the mile cycle track in pitch black at 7 pm !
I’m so proud of him. He’s resting up now and going through all your amazing messages.

Also….Alex the current leader , is female🎉💪🏻💖She is a powerhouse. She is insane. Just unbelievable and unstoppable.

Mike, you’re awesome and you’ve definitely proved that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that you have made the right decision.
Nicky would be sooo proud of you. 🧡🧡🧡🧡
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE SUPPORT
🙏🏻
The stories ! Oh my I can’t wait for him to share these with you. I’ve heard a few and 🤯.
So for it’s goodnight while Mike takes a rest.
Good luck to those 16 left in !

At the end he said “ sorry Nicky “

No no, there’s no sorry here. This is simply incredible. Nicky would be sooo so proud.

We are all proud

NO - you’re not ever entering this again !!!!

He’s on 25:14 hours and 97 miles . Cut off is 27. He has 3 miles til 100 miles and rest. I would say he’ll be 45 mins max. He can make the cut off if his body can keep going x he’s struggling bless him. Take me to the mountains any day !
C’mon Mike you’re definitely making it to 100 💪🏻🙏🏻🧡🧡🧡🧡

🙏🏻thank you 🙏🏻
He’s reached £1000. He’s really struggling and desperate to hit 100 miles before cut off. He’s had mega stomach problems since mile 42. He’s taken Imodium so I really hope it settles him. I can’t express how proud I am of him !
Beth and I walked through twice and it’s so grim in there. Depravation of light, senses, and nature. His body must be craving vitamin D and “normality” . It’s like a tunnel full of zombies. The women- blimey, all ages, powering on . It’s mind blowing!

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/michael-thomas-995?fbclid=IwY2xjawIwBJ1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRo4G6vo4F7Q_zoVpWkFoW4tsJGRX6zz0v6Pbiv4LUrqWpVyh1TpWj5G-w_aem_e1r8VBm89XFqQMESL4-b6Q

78 miles in - Beth and I just walked through the tunnel. It was so much colder and wetter than I expected.
I burst into tears. The thought of being in there for up to 55 hours!
We saw Mike running towards us, and he was so in the zone that he didn’t even see us. Eyes forward cracking on. He spotted us when he came back down, and said his guts were in pieces. So I’m really hoping he’s able to keep on with his nutrition plan! It was so inspiring yet overwhelming to see those athletes and how far they’ve come, but how far is left to go 🤯.
Well done everyone. Incredible 🧡🧡🧡🧡

🧡🧡🧡🧡

Feeling very emotional at the moment. 7 DNF’s. 💔😭
Some of these names are absolute machines too.
I looked out this morning and saw the frost. It’s absolutely freezing in the tunnel and they have to take any rest out in the open in the minus temps overnight. I could not do that( not that I could do an if this race at all!). I really struggle to function with cold🥶.
I think the tunnel hit -2 last night. But outside would have been even colder.

Come on Mike 💪🏻
We are proud of every single step you take to raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.

🧡🧡🧡🧡
Here he is finishing his Conwy to Swansea solo run for Nicky

Dydd Gwŷl Dewi Hapus i chi gyd 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🧡

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