What's The Money For? - I have designed a personal development/wellbeing App, which is unlike ones currently on the market. It is based upon my own personal experiences of living with mental illnesses and physical challenges such as; 7pro-lapse discs resulting in Chronic Pain and Fibromyalgia. The ability to overcome adversity, learning to adapt and manage both the physical and mental challenges, is down to my working through the modules within the app and making time to invest in myself, enabling me to help others.

Some will find this easier than others, many will have underlying health conditions to also consider, but, by working through the "Self - Management" programme within the App, you will have your own 'Personalised Mind Care Plan', which can be referred to; on those dark days, with increased anxiety levels, when experiencing a panic attack, feeling low or as part of their personal development and recovery.

It will help you to take stock of; who you are, where you are at within your own world, what you need to address, what will help you to do this and what can help you specifically on those dark days. It also has a bank of resources, informed animated videos, exercises and guidance, alongside both local and regional support organisations. It truly is the "One stop shop for personal growth, development and self-help".

The Idea - To cycle from Margate in Kent, along the south coast (as much as possible) to Lands End in six days. Now I know the difficulty of this will be perceived at varying levels, some will think it's fairly easy and others might think we are daft! But, what makes this challenge more complicated, interesting and so much more challenging, than what it seems on the face of it is; I have seven pro-lapse discs resulting in my experiencing Chronic Pain and my spinal nerve can cause muscle spasms throughout my back, across my shoulders and around my neck. I also have Fibromyalgia, which heightens the sensitivity of all your nerve endings, can feel like having severe Arthritis in your joints and impacts your mind, resulting in "Fibro fog", confusion and short term memory loss.

Suddenly the difficulty level increases somewhat!

An Introduction - Hi everyone, my name is Nick Wilson, I am an Army Veteran who served 14years in the British Army, where I deployed on multiple operations around the globe such as; Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. I left eight years ago due to a spinal injury gained during service, which has resulted in my having 7pro-lapse discs and having to manage Chronic Pain on a daily basis. Regardless of this, I managed to build two successful businesses, an increasing Public Speaker portfolio, ran two successful Mental Health campaigns in 2018/19, reaching over 250,000 people and directly saving the lives of ten people, we are aware of.

It is nearly five years ago now, when I experienced burnout or a mental breakdown, attempted Suicide and went into rehabilitation, where I was diagnosed with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have spent these past few years on a journey of recovery, whilst raising awareness of Mental Health and Chronic Pain, sharing my story and continuing on in business, to show you can still be successful with a Mental Illness.

I still have a long way to go, especially with my spinal injuries, chronic pain and fibromyalgia, which are mentally, emotionally and physically draining by themselves, regardless of the mental illnesses. But, through Talk Mental Health and providing our Men's mental health peer support groups, not to mention helping the partners of loved ones struggling with mental health and grief, it is empowering me to begin to "Thrive" in life, rather than simply "Surviving" in it!

What can you do - I invite you all to join me on this journey, as I begin to find; what mileage I can achieve each day based on my pain levels, what miles will my body allow me to travel each day, how far can I push the pain, can I push through it and will it balance off? I desperately need to get miles on the bike under my belt, as I need to be in a place whereby I can cover up to 65miles each day, every day, for a period of six days to complete the challenge.

Business sponsors are welcomed in return for various benefits to yourselves, Donate what you can, Share this amongst your networks via the social media links or simply post a message of support. Myself and the team involved would truly appreciate whatever you can manage, with raising awareness of the challenge being just as valuable as you donating your pennies 🙏

Talk Mental Health seeks to empower individuals to begin processing their experiences and consequent emotions, so they can look to move forward with their lives. There are so many positives to be taken from this past year, let's seek to accept, grow, learn and develop, as we manage those things which are still impacting and yet, moving forward and planning for the future once again, as we take back control of our lives.