A firefighter from Bolton is walking from one side of England to another to raise funds for a cause close to his heart.
Gaz Cartwright, who works at the Bolton North fire station, is undertaking the task today (Monday) despite only recovering from Covid a short time ago.
He will aim to walk the 84 miles of the Hadrian's Wall path from Solway, west of Carlisle, to Wallsend, east of Newcastle, at an average of 14 miles per day with only one rest day in the middle.
The reason the 54-year-old is so motivated to undertake the task is that he wants to raise funds for The Fire Fighters Charity who have supported him in his battle with depression.
He was full of praise for the staff at the charity and the facilities up in Penrith.
The Barrow Bridge resident urged people, and in particular men, to speak out and get help with their mental health if they are struggling.
He said: "It is a bit of a tabboo subject, blokes feel too proud to talk about it.
"There is always a positive, it often feels like you are sinking to the bottom, if you are on a life raft you hold on to a positive, it can be friends, family, not everything goes wrong all of the time, it is little steps at a time.
"It can seem overpowering to talk, you bury a lot in your subconscious without realising it.
"It is like getting a piece of the jigsaw, you get the pieces of the jigsaw out and a counsellor can rearrange them and put them together.
"The pieces are all in your head but you can't see a picture."
He added: "I am really looking forward to the walk.
"I haven't clocked a large number of miles and I had covid a few weeks ago.
"I will crack on through as I always throw myself in at the deep end.
"I don't want to blow my own trumpet, I want to raise money or the Fire Fighters Charity as they are an amazing bunch.
"Walkign is really great to clear the head, it is good to get some fresh air, I can't express that enough to people that may just be feeling a bit house bound, it can fix so many things in your head and after you feel so much better."
His fundraising effort can be supported here.
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