A Herefordshire man is driving to Africa and back to raise funds for a mental health charity.
Rob Cooper is aiming to raise £5,000 for Mind by making the solo trip from Herefordshire to Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
The 37-year-old left Ledbury for Dakar on December 1, driving a 2001 1.3-litre Suzuki Justy.
That’s a journey of 7,284 miles through France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, He is being sponsored by building contractor Speller Metcalfe, as well as Rotherwas Car and Light Commercial Ltd.
Not only is it a long journey across varying climates, but Mr Cooper will also be sleeping in the car for most of the trip.
“Having suffered with my own mental health, I firmly believe that mental health issues shouldn’t stop anyone from doing extraordinary things and that continuing to have amazing experiences and push yourself demonstrates a real strength of the mind,” he said.
For many of us who are focused on buying gifts for family and friends, it can be easy to forget those who can often find this period particularly challenging – be it because of money worries, personal relationships, the recent loss of a loved one, loneliness or perhaps a worrying medical issue.
Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
It campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding, and is active throughout England and Wales, and has a local support centre in Hereford.
James Speller, managing director at Speller Metcalfe, said: “Mental health is a big topic for the construction industry, with one in four of our peers suffering from a mental health issue at any one time.
“We also have the highest rate of suicide among men of any industry, and for Speller Metcalfe it’s extremely important that we highlight support services and talk about mental health as much as possible, to encourage those who are struggling to seek support as soon as they can.”
Rob is yet to reach his goal of raising £5,000, so if you would like to sponsor him, visit his Just Giving page, and you can also follow his journey on Facebook.
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