An on call firefighter and serving member of the British Army raised over £2,000 for mental health charity Mind with a 300-mile walk.
Dane North, from Debden, walked from his home at Carver Barracks, where he is actively serving, to his home village of Brotton in the North East.
He chose to support Mind due to his own struggles with mental health, and after seeing a poster for the charity while visiting his daughter at the hospital.
Dane planned to complete the journey in 10 days, only taking with him a backpack and sleeping outside - relying on the kindness of others to provide food and water to prove that you can get the help you need by speaking out.
He ended up completing the walk a day early - hiking 33 miles per day - and raising £2,618, smashing his original £1,000 target.
Dane said: "I can’t thank all the people that helped me enough.
"I had people messaging every day, people giving me food and water, people taking me in and giving me a bed for the night and even people sharing their mental health stories with me.
"When I started the challenge, sleeping rough and getting water didn’t bother me - it was getting food I thought I would struggle with and to be honest I didn’t think I would last three days.
"But by speaking out and asking for help I got the help I needed, I've always said don’t man up, speak up.
"I’d like to thank my family and friends for all their support and keeping track of me in case I came into trouble."
Dane's colleague Lorraine Melton said that Dane does a different challenge each year, but described this one as the "most ambitious" so far.
She said: "Dane is very modest and quietly helps with both local events and his fundraising each year, and is the first to volunteer to organise and take part in the extra community events we complete at the station alongside our firefighting role.”
Mind works across England and Wales to provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. The charity campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
For more information go to https://www.mind.org.uk/
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