Mental health fundraiser completes endurance walk

Chris Kendall walked from York Minster to the Lake District in just three days

A fundraiser has completed an 111-mile (178km) endurance walk from York Minster to the Lake District in aid of a mental health charity.

Chris Kendall, 33, completed the challenge when he arrived in Keswick three days after he set off from his home city.

He was inspired by his own experience of depression and anxiety and has collected more than £2,000 in donations for Mind.

He said: "It’s a nice feeling as I know I am going to give a good amount of money to help other people that need the support."

Mr Kendall, from Heworth, endured a 2am start and suffered from painful shin splints that forced him to walk on his tiptoes.

He said: "I was so relieved and exhausted to reach the finishing point.

“I was really emotional, the floodgates opened.”

Mr Kendall's dog Roux kept him company along the journey

His father supported him by meeting him in his campervan every 10 miles to provide tea and snacks, and Mr Kendall's dog Roux also joined him for some sections of the walk.

He said of his diagnosis two years ago: “Some days still aren’t great as you do bottle stuff up, but I am learning to open up to friends and family.”

He fell in love with the Lake District when his boss began to take him walking in the fells when he was struggling with his mental health.

“I was hooked, the Lakes just relaxed me”, he said.

“The walk has been a light at the end of the tunnel after a difficult time."

Mr Kendall said he wanted to share how important it was to "speak out".

“If you don’t talk you hold it up and it gets worse and worse," he added.

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