Pole to pole challenge for World Bipolar Day

Volunteers will be raising awareness and money for Bipolar UK by completing a challenge to cover the distance from the North to South Pole and back again.

The charity has been asking people to walk, run, cycle, scoot or paddle a total of 40,008km (24,860 miles) between them.

It is hoped that volunteers will hit the target on World Bipolar Day, on 30 March.

An event to mark the day is taking place in Godstone, from 11:00 GMT.

Local volunteer Steve Boyce will be taking part.

He said: "It's a sad statistic that on average it takes nine and a half years to get the right diagnosis.

"We'd like to reduce that to five years."

A bipolar disorder is a mental health condition which affects the mood causing it to swing from one extreme to the other, with the challenge chosen to represent that experience.

Simon Kitchen, the CEO of Bipolar UK, said: "I kicked off the challenge in May during Mental Health Awareness Week by walking 9.5km (5.9 miles) along Hadrian's Wall.

"Each kilometre represents the average number of years it takes to get a diagnosis.

"If someone has access to the right medication and support, they can have long periods of stability and live a full and meaningful life."

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