A MAN who lost two friends to suicide will be visiting Harwich as he undertakes a gruelling challenge in their memory.
Dan Simms, 24, an online strength coach and athlete from Wales, intends to walk almost 400 miles from Caldicot Castle to Amsterdam city centre.
Harwich is among the planned stops in Dan’s journey and he is hoping to accumulate “at least” £5,000 for causes close to his heart.
The money raised through Dan’s efforts will be split between the families of his late friends, Tom and Rory.
Tom was Dan’s best friend through childhood while Rory was a member of the same gym as Dan.
Meanwhile, Dan is also fundraising for male suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club, which offers free-to-attend peer-to-peer groups across the United Kingdom, provides support for men who are struggling.
The charity will receive 10 per cent of the money raised through Dan’s endeavour.
He intends to complete his task in 15 days, with the journey set to begin on February 24.
The overall distance is approximately equal to a marathon each day, with no rest days.
Dan said: “I am doing this to raise money and awareness for men’s mental health.
“There are too many men silently suffering.
“I have known four men who have sadly taken their own life in the last few years.
“One of them was my best mate all through childhood and one of them was a member of my local gym who I got on with really well.
“Tom Baxter and Rory Prettyjohns, you’ll never be forgotten, neither will all the other men who have sadly taken their own life.
“So this walk is for you guys and for all the men out there suffering. I got you and understand you.”
On the ferry crossing, Dan will be doing 300 press ups as an extra challenge in addition to 700 more throughout the walk to reach 1000 in total.
He will also be carrying out personal 1-1s for people who are struggling, such as through a day out, meal and chat.
Dan said: “There’s no going back now. I have 100 per cent committed to this challenge and I will do it.
“February 24, this is for you all. God bless”.
Dan's GoFundMe page can be found here.
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