“Adam would be really proud” – family and friends raise more than £15,000 by taking on Wigan runs

Choosing the Wigan event was in fitting tribute to Adam. He was a staunch football fan and, following in the footsteps of his dad Andrew, who is from Wigan, a lifelong supporter of Wigan Athletic FC. Helen was also inspired by Adam’s friends, who teamed up for last year’s Run Wigan Festival and together braved the challenge of a half-marathon in his memory.

“When Adam and Katie died, it affected everyone terribly. Adam’s friends were absolutely devastated,” Helen recalls. “Some of them decided they wanted to do a run around the time of Adam’s birthday, so they signed up for the Wigan race as a way to remember him.”

Seventeen people made up the team running for Adam, all wearing pink t-shirts bearing his name and football shirt number – Muskett 9 – on the back. They were cheered on by a crowd of supporters along the route, everyone united by their grief for a much-loved friend.

“There were so many people there on the day and it was such an emotional occasion for us all,” Helen says. And to top it off, the group managed to raise an extraordinary £10,838.

Some of the money was used to buy three memorial benches for the couple – one each at the cemeteries where Adam and Katie are laid to rest, and the third overlooking the sea along the esplanade at Tenby.

“It was one of Adam and his sister Hannah’s favourite places to go. It’s really beautiful, and Hannah and the boys go there regularly,” Helen says. “Adam and Katie were known and loved by so many people, and the bench at Tenby brings the community together for them.”

The rest of the money raised from the group’s half marathon – a huge £7,111 – was donated to Brake. “When the boys discussed with us as a family who we would want the money to go to, we said Brake straight away, because they were really there for us after Adam died.”

Helen was referred to Brake’s National Road Victim Service shortly after the collision and was put in touch with a caseworker, Linda. The two shared an instant bond.

“I’d look forward to the calls I had with her, and I really valued the way she listened and supported me. She would take all the jumble and chaos of the emotions I was feeling and validated everything so authentically,” Helen recalls. “Linda was amazing. She became a very important part of my life, and I thank Brake for that.”

The impact of Adam and Katie’s deaths stretched far beyond their immediate families, rippling out to touch friends and the wider community, several of whom were also supported by Brake.

Adam’s best friend, Connor Ennis, was part of the team who ran the half-marathon, and like Helen, Connor found support from Brake in the aftermath of his devastating loss. He was assigned a caseworker, also called Helen.

“Speaking to Helen from Brake was the first time I had ever spoken to a professional about how I felt. I wanted to be there to support my friends, but I also needed support,” Connor explains. “She listened to me, asked me the right questions, and gave me tips on how to deal with the trauma. I don’t think I would be as far on in my progression of grief without the help of my caseworker and all those at Brake.”

Adam’s mum admits that the heaviness of her own grief is sometimes too much to bear – that “some days are like wading through mud”. She was having a particularly difficult time in the lead-up to her second run, the Wales 5K in Tenby on 28 June.

“Hannah called me the night before to wish me luck and I just fell to pieces on the phone,” Helen says. “So, she got on the phone the next morning, and Connor and another friend, Owain, turned up at short notice to do the run with me.”

They walked Helen to the start line, then joined her 100m in to run alongside her, before stepping aside to watch her cross the finish line. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. They were absolutely amazing and got me through.”

Connor adds: “Adam's mum Helen is such an amazing woman, and to achieve what she has achieved, after what she has been through and is still going through, is just incredible. My thoughts when I crossed the finish line were just relief for her.”

Adam also inspired another friend, Eve, to complete the New York marathon in aid of Brake, with her employers adding a £5,000 donation to the charity on top. Altogether, Adam’s family and friends have collectively raised more than £15,600 for Brake in his memory.

His legacy is testament to what a bereaved community can achieve when its people wrap their arms around each other.

“I know how much Brake helped me, and I know that by fundraising they could help someone else going through what I went through,” Connor says. “There is no answer to get over the loss of a friend, we just have to keep moving and do our best to make Adam proud.”