'I run for men's mental health after losing friend'

Oliver Gooch completed over 400 laps of the track

A man who ran round a sports track for 24 hours to raise awareness of men's mental health said "wanting to bring a change is something I'm passionate about".

Oliver Gooch, from Blackpool, ran around the town's Stanley Park, facing heavy winds, driving rain and freezing overnight conditions as Storm Claudia battered the coast last weekend.

The 35-year-old completed 95 miles (153km) - the equivalent of running from Blackpool to Manchester and back - and over 400 laps of the track.

Having lost a close friend who took his own life five years ago, he said: "I wanted to do it in memory of him."

Oliver said "middle of the night was probably the hardest" part of the challenge

It follows his 2023 feat, a near 250 mile (400km) pier to pier run from Blackpool to Brighton, which raised £2,500 for Movember.

"I'm just wanting to raise awareness and make a change," he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It was important for me to do it in Blackpool as it's my hometown," he said.

Blackpool also has the highest rate of deaths linked to alcohol, drug abuse and suicide in England, a recent study found.

The town is plagued by fatalities linked to alcohol, drug abuse and suicide.

A study of deaths recorded at coroners' courts across England, suggests that between 2019 and 2021, about 46,200 people lost their lives in this way - the equivalent of 42 people every day.

And research suggests Blackpool has the highest rate of these deaths with a rate of 83.8 for every 100,000 people.

'Kept me going'

Compare that to the area with the lowest rate, Barnet in Greater London, where the figure stands at 14.5 deaths per 100,000 people.

Oliver said the challenge "was tough to start off in that storm at 5pm on the Friday," but "the middle of the night was probably the hardest".

"Fortunately I had people come and support me the whole time, and just doing a couple of laps with me, so that really kept me going."

"I think there's still a stigma about men talking about mental health," he said, "but I think year or year there's improvements being made."