A FATHER-OF-TWO is planning a solo march of 250 miles from York to Hastings in four-stone of armour this September, echoing famous events of 1066 – with the aim of combatting suicide.

Lewis Kirkbride from Durham hopes to raise awareness and fundraise £10,660 for men’s mental health peer support organisation ManHealth.

He hopes his epic 20-day medieval challenge will inspire other men to get talking, he said: “Men still aren’t asking for help or talking when they need to. It can feel like we are alone with nowhere to turn when mental health services and communities around us are struggling to support these men – but I want to show that people are willing to listen. Nobody needs to suffer in silence.

“Organisations like ManHealth are so important at a time when suicide is the biggest killer in men under 50.

"People looked at me and saw a healthy young man with a job, a home, a wife and a happy family but I was losing my own battle with depression and anxiety. My hobbies in medieval combat gave me an important link to my sense of self and to other people, but I wish I’d got talking about my mental health much sooner.”

ManHealth offers free peer-support sessions around the North-East, which are proving to be making a real difference to the lives of men.

The organisation also offers training on health inequalities and mental health.

Mr Kirkbride explained how September’s physical and mental challenge compares to events of 1066, he said: “King Harold had to defend his kingdom by first defeating a Viking army near York on September 25, then marching south in 20 days to face the Norman invaders at the south coast on October 14. Like the battles of 1066, mental health problems can invade your life and attack from all sides. We do our best to fight, but putting on a brave face every day takes a lot of energy – a bit like heavy armour weighing down on our shoulders every step of the way.

“Hopefully my march will have a happier ending than Harold’s, and even though it’ll be a solo journey with lots of ups and downs I’m looking forward to talking to lots of kind and helpful people along the way. I will need help at each stop on my route, and a bit of company will be very welcome. It all proves that we all have our struggles, but if you’re willing to talk, there’s always someone willing to listen.”

To donate to the challenge visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/1066battlewalk