2020 has been a tough year for everyone, the coronavirus has impacted everyones lives in different ways. Covid massively affected my life, I am a joint owner of a travel agents in Tunstall, Stoke On Trent and when Covid started to effect overseas travel in early February and my work load became cancellation after cancellation my mental health started to become affected. I was worried about my customers who have been so loyal throughout the years, I was worried about my business failing, i was worried about my family. I became very depressed and will openly admit have had some very dark days when i did not feel I could carry on.

Around two months ago i happened to see a post on twitter from Ex footballer Mark Crossley he too had struggled with his mental health and to get structure back into his world had started to walk. Along with some fellow ex footballers he came up with the campaign #walkingsbrilliant.

I decided to try it myself and started to walk my dog on longer walks, taking walks in the countryside and starting to enjoy my surroundings. By the time lockdown started in November is was walking a few miles a day. I realised the more i walked and spent time outside I could manage things better and was not feeling so low..

In the last few weeks i have started to walk with friends Paul Miller and Stu Taylor and along with fellow walker Paul Venables we are each trying to walk 150 miles in the month of December. We thought to bring some festive cheer we would walk every day up until christmas in fancy dress, myself as santa and the other as elves. We decided to start this just giving page to raise money for the #walkingsbrilliant campaign they are trying to raise £50,000 to help the NHS and mental health charities.

If you could spare a few ££££ for the campaign it would be greatly appreciated.