The Journey

Do you want to join me in making a difference?

I'm raising money in aid of  The Charlie Waller Trust, and every donation will help.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who donated towards the 2021  One Man and His Bike expedition in support of the Charlie Waller Trust.

At the time of completion, the eight-country, 4,000km cycle raised £55,000 for the Charlie Waller Trust. I was incredibly proud to have championed their mission of creating an open conversation surrounding mental health and increasing awareness, giving people the skills and confidence to look after their mental health.

November is Men’s Health Awareness Month, with International Men’s Day falling on November 19th. Men’s Health Awareness Month is dedicated to bringing awareness to a wide range of men’s health issues - including mental health.

Today, to mark one year since the start of the cycle, I am delighted to introduce a project I have been working on for some time.

I will again be supporting the Charlie Waller Trust to mark and celebrate its 25th year.

The Trust was set up in 1997 in memory of Charlie Waller, a young man who took his own life while suffering from depression.

The Charlie Waller Trust's vision is of a world where people understand and talk openly about depression, young people know how to maintain their well-being, and the most appropriate treatment is available to everyone who needs it.

The Trust raises awareness of depression and other mental health problems and provides training and resources to schools, colleges, universities, workplaces, parents and carers.

I hope that the funds raised will allow the Charlie Waller Trust to support and educate many more people, providing them with the tools to look after their own mental health and help those they care for.

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I would now like to take this opportunity to introduce “The Journey”.

The Journey will run from November 2022 - November 2023 and will consist of running fifteen marathons in unique and extreme locations worldwide to reflect the fifteen suicides per day in England and Wales in 2021 (Office For National Statistics).

Fifteen marathons are equivalent to 633km or 393 miles…..

I can't wait to share my progress with you throughout the Journey. I will post regular content on Instagram, LinkedIn, Youtube and the Journey Website so you can all share the experience with me. You will find links to these pages below.

My first marathon will take place on the 27th of November 2022 in Lake Bled, Slovenia.

The following month I head to the Middle East to Oman to run in the area surrounding Jabal Samhan with the intention that I finish the marathon before sunrise to watch the sun come up over the Arabian Peninsula to mark the New Year.

From there, the long road to Marathon De Sables will be well and truly underway.

In January, I will be running in Amsterdam.

In February, I will be running in Berlin.

In March, I will be running the Rome Marathon before heading to southern Morocco for the Marathon De Sables at the end of April.

The Marathon De Sables promises to be the most challenging event of the journey, which will involve a six-day 250km self-supported footrace across the rolling dunes of the Sahara in Southern Morocco.

The penultimate marathon will take me far north, to Greenland within the Arctic Circle, where I will aim to complete what has been referred to as the "coolest marathon on earth". I will experience running across the Sahara's dunes and the Arctic tundra in Greenland!

I will release more marathons as the journey progresses, so watch all the channels!

Any support is both invited and, of course, welcomed. Additionally, if any of these marathons excite you and you fancy a challenge, you are more than welcome to get in contact to experience part of the Journey with me!

I’m excited to begin this challenge; any donation is greatly appreciated!

If you want to see what I’ll be getting up to on this challenge, please follow @C_E_B_K on Instagram. Additionally, follow the link to the website: https://the-journey0.yolasite.com to read more about the challenge and the Charlie Waller Trust’s impact.

I hope you enjoyed the film - a massive thank you to Susanna Kid for the production.

Thank you!

Con