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Paul Dixon’s Kiltwalk Fundraiser

PAUL'S
KILTWALK

This August, Former Professional Footballer Paul Dixon is taking on the Dundee Kiltwalk to Give Back to Back Onside.

After an 18-year professional football career with clubs including Dundee FC, Dundee United, Huddersfield Town, Falkirk and Peterhead, Paul found retirement harder than he ever expected. Without the structure and routine that football had always provided, he struggled to adjust to life beyond the game.

“[Back Onside] gave me ways to deal with things. As a footballer you’ve got structure and routine – you know months in advance what you’re going to be doing – and I definitely struggled without that and lost my way a bit.”

After receiving support from Back Onside, Paul is now giving back by taking on the Dundee Kiltwalk, helping to ensure others facing similar challenges can access the same life-changing support.

“BACK ONSIDE HELPED ME BECOME ME AGAIN.”

Reflecting on his journey, Paul said:

“My whole career playing football, and in my whole life, I’ve always been somebody that just picks things up and gets on with it. But this time I just wasn’t able to do that. I wasn’t finding much joy in anything I was doing. I wasn’t being the smiley, happy family man that I usually am. But now, I’ve picked up the strategies that Jane has given me, and it means so much to me.”

Everyone at Back Onside is incredibly grateful to Paul for taking on the Dundee Kiltwalk and using his story to help raise awareness and funds for Back Onside. By taking on the 20-mile Dundee Kiltwalk on the 16th of August, Paul is hoping to raise the vital funds that Back Onside are in desperate need of, so that more people can access the same life-changing support that helped him thorugh a challenging time.

Every penny raised from Paul’s Kiltwalk fundraiser will go directly towards helping people all over Scotland experiencing mental health struggles. Since 2018, Back Onside has supported more than 24,500 individuals, through services including:

  • Crisis intervention
  • Suicide prevention
  • One-to-one counselling
  • Group support
  • Education in schools and sports clubs
  • Mental Health First Aid training

As a small charity, Back Onside receives no government funding, so every fundraiser, donation and act of support is what helps us continue to do what we do.

If you’d like to donate to Paul’s Kiltwalk fundraiser in support of Back Onside, please click here.

Thank you.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO PAUL’S FULL STORY.

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