I am raising money for SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) to increase awareness of the support available for those seeking help with their mental health. My 10 year old son, Dominic, and I will be cycling 444 miles from John O' Groats to Portpatrick. We will be semi self-supported, carrying our tent and cooking equipment each day. Averaging 65 miles and over 2,000ft of climbing each day, we are aiming to complete the challenge within 7 days.

In the summer of 2021, we tragically lost one of our apprentice engineers. I am raising this money in his memory, and in the hope that by raising awareness of the fantastic work that SAMH and other mental health charities do, we can help others to feel that they can reach out and ask for help before it is too late.

Mental health, particularly in these difficult times, can often be overlooked or dismissed. I aim to show, through this challenge, that it is OK to feel down, it is OK to need help, and that everybody should feel safe and able to talk about their mental state at any time. The parallels between the ups and downs of a tough physical challenge and the challenges faced, often silently and alone, by people who do not have access to help will hopefully show my son that with the right support that anything is possible.

We will be joined on Sunday 31st of July by many of my colleagues from King Communications & Security LTD for the Perth to Glasgow leg of the journey, and welcome anybody else along the way who wants to join for a section to offer encouragement.

I will post a route guide and timeline here in due course and post regular updates of our training and preparation.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story, and thank you for every donation. Hopefully we can do our small part to help anybody who needs it.

Paul