Dundee man Jonathan Herd recently completed a 500km cycle for a local mental health charity.
The Downfield resident finished the cycle in less than five days to raise money for local charity Hope Counselling.
Mr Herd was able to raise £560 towards the mental health service via his GoFundMe.
Hope Counselling provides subsidised counselling, with suggested payments in line with a person’s income. They rely on donations to stay afloat.
“I’ve been blown away by the support,” said Jonathan.
“Especially when people are struggling during the pandemic, it’s really encouraging to see.”
‘I’ve had counselling in the past myself’
“I work in social work myself and I think mental health is a huge issue for people,” said Mr Herd.
“I don’t think there’s enough support for people, especially in Dundee.
“When you work in the health services it can feel like there’s never enough funding, so it makes you think – what can I do?”
Jonathan finished the trek on Saturday after covering a total of 569km, smashing his initial target.
“I’ve had counselling in the past myself, so I know how important it is,” he said.
“It’s about raising awareness as well. Hopefully people will find out about this charity and give them a call and get help as, particularly for men, reaching out can be difficult.
“Its a complex problem and it’s OK to reach out.
“We need that culture shift in society and hopefully that’ll bring more resources for mental health charities.”
The lengthy trip covered Alyth, Pitlochry and Perth among other Tayside locations.
Fundraising bike rides
Jonathan hopes his fundraising efforts can help to improve the mental health of those in his community.
“This mental health charity has been going for three years, but my goodness they’re busy,” said Mr Herd.
“So they’re definitely needed in the community.”
He is attempting to do a sponsored cycle every year, with next year’s donations going towards autism support.
Jonathan previously raised £300 towards cancer research after a colleague was diagnosed.