Man skateboarding coast to coast in Devon for mental health

Nick Harris, 45, began his journey at Ilfracombe, before travelling route 27 of the National Cycle Network

A man is skateboarding across Devon to raise awareness for men's mental health.

Nick Harris, 45, is travelling from Ilfracombe on the north coast down to Plymouth.

The five-day challenge started on Wednesday and is expected to finish on Sunday.

Money raised will go to a suicide prevention charity that trains skateboarding coaches to spot early signs of mental health difficulties.

The journey combines beaches, estuaries, and a view of Dartmoor

Mr Harris, from Ivybridge, chose to ride route 27 of the National Cycle Network, which combines beaches, estuaries, and valleys, with a view of Dartmoor, too.

He said the trip of 102 miles (163km) was an "epic journey" and "ticks all the boxes of doing something worthwhile".

• Listen: Nick Harris on why he is skateboarding coast to coast

Having struggled with his own mental health more than six years ago, Mr Harris wanted to raise money for The Ben Raemers Foundation, which was established in 2019 following the death of professional skateboarder, Ben Raemers.

The foundation delivers suicide prevention training to skate teams and crews, managers, and professional skateboarders - and gives them the confidence to intervene.

'A community hub'

More than £1,000 has so far been raised for the foundation.

The former primary school teacher also wants to help develop a skatepark for Ivybridge, through Skate South Devon CIC.

He said: "We want to put a facility in Ivybridge which will support the community in the long-term, bring workshops and projects to the park.

"So, we're also building a community hub to work with young people and families. And a big focus of that will be to improve people's mental health through exercise which they will be able to do at the park."

The end of the challenge coincides with the Samaritan's World Suicide Prevention Day on Sunday.