Stafford man carries fridge up Snowdon for charity

A man carried a fridge on his back as he walked up Snowdon to raise awareness of mental health issues.

Ex-serviceman Michael Copeland, from Stafford, has raised more than £4,000 for the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).

The fridge, he said, represented the "burden mental health can have on us".

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Mr Copeland said: "It was amazing the amount of people that came out and supported.

"When I got to the top...I just broke down. I fell to one knee and shed a few tears and everyone was cheering and clapping", he said.

The ex-serviceman said there was around a "45-minute queue" to take a picture on the summit but "everyone started clapping for me and ushered me to the front".

"I didn't expect them to do that, I was ready to wait in the queue," he added.

He completed the hike in "about five hours" at "a good pace".

Mr Copeland, a bodybuilder, explained he used the gym to help with his own mental health and began hiking about a year ago.

He said he wanted to encourage people to find "positive outlets" to help their minds stay healthy.

"For me, the gym and being outdoors is just a massive release and I kind of want to share that with people to make people realise there are things you can do yourself to help yourself mentally."

Mr Copeland, who is raising funds via a JustGiving page, said he trained by carrying the fridge on Cannock Chase.

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