An ex-Army man running 5,000 miles along the UK’s coastline for charity has reached the north.
Paul Minter is raising thousands of pounds- and awareness – for military well-being charity Head Up, which he set up last year to provide services for retired veterans struggling with their mental health.
The charity is working towards creating a 7-day positive mindset retreat for ex-military personnel in Worcestershire.
His run will take him across the north of Scotland, and today he passed through Inverness.
Mr Minter told us why he had set up the charity after leaving the forces along with some fellow ex-servicemen.
“I was in the military for 18 years, and I lost a lot of friends during that time,” he said.
“However, in the last three years of my service a lost 11 friends to suicide and that was when I knew there was a major problem with veterans and servicing personnel with mental health problems.”
Through research, the team found that many servicemen and women want guidance on how to improve their lives and mental well-being post-service.
They also found that many veterans want to remove themselves from that triggering environment, so the team came up with the 7-day retreat concept.
Mr Minter’s 5,000-mile challenge is the first opportunity for Head Up to raise funds and also promote the work they are doing.
Mr Minter, from London, has travelled along the west coast of England from Liverpool to Glasgow before heading up to John O’Groats.
He purposefully avoided the craggy west coast of Scotland to save time on his journey and have opportunities to speak to people in more populated areas.
Weather adding to the challenge
The unpredictable weather in recent days has been a shock for him as it has went from sunshine to snow in just a matter of hours during some days.
He expects to finish the challenge in September 2022 and open the retreat next year.
Mr Minter has raised just under £20,000 of his £50,000 target to go towards the retreat, but there is still a long way, as the project is estimated to cost £3million.
During his journey, he relies on the kindness of strangers to put him up where ever he ends up, usually exhausted after travelling around 30 miles per day.
Mr Minter said: “The idea is to let people know what we are doing and get the charity name out there to as many people as possible.
“So far, since I’ve been in Scotland and the Highlands, I’ve met hundreds of people, and we have spoken about mental health and different methods they can use to cope.
“Each community I come through, I ask if anyone can put me up, so I stay with a new household every day.
“It’s all part of the journey, letting people get involved. Most places I go to I get a nice welcome, and some locals will even run with me.
“It has been a fantastic journey not just for the armed forces side of it but just talking to people about how they can improve their lives when it comes to mental health.”
Route will pass through Aberdeen
As he made his way into Inverness for his daily stop, a crowd of 20 people was there cheering him on to success, for which he was grateful.
He will now head along the coastline around the north-east aiming to reach Aberdeen by April 18, and from there down the east coast of the UK.
To find out more about the challenge, click here.
