On July 17th I will be solo hiking over 1000 miles from John O’Groats to Lands End to raise money for Birmingham Mind charity.

Despite the rise of Mental Health awareness, lots of us still struggle on a daily basis. When I was younger I really struggled with anxiety. Although I’m in a good place with my mental health now, I’m always conscious of controlling it. For me, keeping a healthy body and leaving my comfort zone every now and then is how I control it.

Birmingham Mind (birminghammind.org) is doing an amazing job for our community by being a safeguard for people to talk through their problems giving practical advice and support to those who need it.

The journey I’ve planned will take me a couple of months to complete, walking an average of at least 20 miles per day. I will be wild camping in Scotland, fighting off the Scottish midges😅, battling whatever the weather throws at me, and dealing with navigation, what could go wrong?! 😂 Although things can go wrong and I could fail, all I can do is put one foot in front of the other and that is a motto for life.

My goal is to raise at least £1000 for Birmingham Mind which is roughly 1 pound for every mile I walk; all the money raised goes straight back into our own community. If you would like to sponsor me for a few miles that would be amazing. Of course you can follow me on Instagram @connorbennettg for all my updates. If there’s no updates for a bit it’s because I don’t have a signal!

Warmest of regards, Connor