Engineers walking 130 miles for charity

Two engineers from Leicestershire are walking to work to raise awareness of men's mental health - except their office is 130 miles (209km) away.

Jon O'Neill and Kevin Walkington, from the village of East Goscote, near Syston, are making the trip to their company's head office in Liverpool on foot.

They are hoping to encourage men to open up about their mental health and to raise money for Foothold, a charity that supports engineers and their families.

The two friends said they felt it was important they did something to help.

The pair, who work telecommunitions firm MJ Quinn, set off from their homes at 06:00 BST on Monday morning and are hoping to reach the office in Knowsley by 12:00 on Friday.

"We are stopping off in Derby, before travelling through the A52 up to Leek. Hopefully reach Warrington on Thursday and finally our office on Friday." said Mr O'Neill.

"We have lost five colleagues in recent years through mental health issues. It's a huge killer of males under 50.

"That is the demographic for our company. One life is too many. But this is a great thing to do. Walking through the countryside with your friends, it's a good way to clear your head.

"We will hopefully arrive in Liverpool in time for a work meeting on Friday. But that is a bit of a token gesture. I don't think most of our colleagues expect us to make it."

The duo are being supported by a team of friends and are encouraging other engineers along the way to join them.

Follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.