Page 28 - WMPF Federation Dec-Jan 2021_Neat

Marathon effort

Tina raises cash for MIND

in memory of her brother

West Midlands Police officer,
determined to raise awareness of
A mental health, has told how she ran
this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon in
memory of her brother, world judo champion
Craig Fallon, who took his own life following
his battle with depression.
PC Tina Fallon-Hancock completed the
26-mile route earlier this month, raising
more than £4,400 for mental health charity
Mind.
Her fundraising efforts came after her
brother, Craig (36), who had competed in the
Olympics, took his own life in 2019 after Tina with her brother Craig.
silently battling with his mental health.
“The only way I could really rationalise had depression,” she added.
what had happened was by helping others “I told him there was help out there but
and raising awareness,” said mother-of-two there was no chance he was speaking out.
Tina, “Both Craig and I come from a sporting The stigma surrounding mental health is
background and when the British Olympic massive, I think Craig was embarrassed and
Association offered me a celebrity place to disappointed in himself. He kept everything
run the marathon on behalf of my brother I to himself.
knew I needed to do it. “I remember the day we heard he was
“I don’t ever want to not talk about Craig missing, I felt so peaceful – I now realise it
but I still get choked up. I’m still coming to was because he had gone. I knew he’d found
terms with what happened. Although he his happy place.”
couldn’t help himself, my brother would’ve Tina admits that the traits she saw in
wanted me to help others. Craig are common within officers and staff in
“I want to show people that this is real. the Force too.
This is my life, and it could happen to you. My Tina Fallon-Hancock at the London “I don’t think the police have got it right
brother had a son, he had a successful career, Marathon. yet,” she said, “It’s so sad that we promote
he was a phenomenal fighter – but he was wellbeing so much but we don’t always get
fighting a lot of demons. her mother walking the route and the support we need. I think the police need
“Nothing will bring my brother back. The completing it ‘virtually’. to do more, especially when they expect so
thing is, if you don’t tell people and explain “The support we received was amazing,” much of people.
your story, people don’t think it’s real. said Tina, who took part in a live link to “There’s so much trauma that people see.
“And every pound we raise is doing Gabby Logan as part of the day’s TV coverage. Our minds see a lot of things, it’s important
something to help others.” “So many people shared our story, it to treat it well. Ultimately, if you had a
Tina, who ran with her brother’s name on really bought people together. We felt like broken leg people would deal with it –
her top, said it was an emotional day. She we were doing something to help. Mum is 63 sometimes the mind needs help too.”
added: “I’m not a marathon runner but I and although she is fit, she couldn’t have run Following Craig’s death, Tina is now
trained as much as I could. I tried to fit my the 26 miles. She wanted to contribute and urging others to speak out.
training in around my kids and listened to a by walking with me, she knew she’d done She said: “None of us know what is going
lot of podcasts about resilience, which something.” on in other people’s lives, we need to stop
definitely helped.” Speaking about Craig, Tina said she knew judging one another. The mind is more
She was due to take part in the event last he was “really down” but speaking about it fragile than it has ever been.
year but due to the coronavirus pandemic, was like the elephant in the room. “I’ve been through this a thousand times
the race was cancelled, which led to Tina and “We could never have said my brother but if he was here I question what I would
“ Nothing will bring my brother back. The thing have raised it with others, even if he had said
have done differently. The answer is, I would
he didn’t need the help – I would have
is, if you don’t tell people and explain your
pushed for it. Even if that meant he never
spoke to me again because I’d rather him be
story, people don’t think it’s real.
here, not speaking to me, than not be here at
all.”

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28 federation December 2021/January 2022 www.polfed.org/westmids