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I am taking on the legendary Marathon Des Sables, still considered as the hardest race on Earth. Remaining completely self-sufficient and carrying all my own supplies, I will run in excess of 250km through the sub-Saharan desert. Temperatures and terrain will be extreme; the risk of dehydration and injury will be very real. This is a multi-day event that has reduced many elite athletes to despair in some of the harshest conditions to be found anywhere on the planet.

20 years in the Fire Service has often enabled me to experience the best of humanity. Clearly, however, I have also experienced some of the worst tragedies, and seen things that will stay with me forever. I am yet to meet anyone serving who is not damaged in some way. Mental health is much more mainstream these days, and we are getting much better at providing support to those who struggle with various issues. However, there is still much to do, and there is a long way to go before mental health is seen on a par with a physical injury. For me, depression, anxiety, and PTSD are a daily battle that I have been forced to seek help with. Many others will not.

Over 1 in 6 men are diagnosed with a mental health condition. Suicide is the biggest killer in men under 45, and this figure is even more prevalent in the forces and emergency services due to the stressful and upsetting environments we work in. We don't talk enough, and we don't seek help. When I gained a family, it was the catalyst to do something about it. It wasn't just about me anymore, and my issues were affecting them, so it was time to do something about it for their sake as well as mine. My story is not unique, and there will be many others like it, and many others suffering daily who do not feel they are able to do anything about it.

Having been a sponsored athlete for many years, taking on endurance challenges has become synonymous with me for a long time now. Most people think I must be crazy; but what they probably don't realise is they have become my therapy. These feats have allowed me to realise that my mind can be strong as well as my body. The solitude and suffering experienced have developed a mindset required to conquer them, which keeps me focused and disciplined, and allows me freedom from my thoughts.

The Firefighters Charity provides important rehabilitation and recovery programmes for serving and retired Firefighters. As well as catering for physical injury, they run programmes for mental health issues that have brought many back from the brink, and proved a lifeline. Like all charities, money is required to provide this vital support.

We will be followed by a film crew through the desert who are making a documentary on our endeavours entitled "Feel the Burn” in a further bid to raise awareness of mental health; focusing on the stories of two Firefighters who are seeking help and looking to help and inspire others. I fear being away from my family more than the pain I will endure in the desert, but I hope to make them proud.

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