'Mental health issues are a heavy load to bear alone'

A man who was part of a team that carried a 50kg sandbag more than 16 miles said he did so to highlight how mental health problems "can be difficult to bear alone".

Daniel Jude, of Preston, led the weighted walk with eight friends from Preston North End FC to Blackpool's Bloomfield Road stadium to raise money for the Movember campaign.

He said the group all took turns in carrying the sandbags over six and a half hours to "share a metaphorical load of worries and stresses".

While the sandbag was "heavy", the team "laughed through the pain", Mr Jude said.

Movember is a campaign held in November to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health.

The 43-year-old personal trainer, boxing coach and life coach said he was delighted to raise more than £1,000 with the weighted walk.

He said: "Men often carry a significant burden of mental health challenges.

"We all did it together. It was a team effort all the way through."

Mr Jude, who said he had overcome his own mental health struggles, wanted to carry the weighted sandbag from Preston to Blackpool to encourage men "to speak out and not to be afraid to ask for help".

He said: "It's not weak to ask for help - it's the opposite."

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