A Cumbrian 16-year-old is set to embark on a 100-mile walking challenge for suicide awareness.
Nathan Canfield, a Keswick School sixth form student from Workington, set himself the challenge to fundraise for Cumbrian suicide prevention charity Every Life Matters over October half term.
In just seven days, Nathan will walk every day around towns across West Cumbria including Workington, Whitehaven, Cockermouth and Maryport, plus Allonby to hit his goal.
To keep track of the miles he amasses, Nathan plans to use an iPad to count his steps and said he was looking forward to it.
But this isn’t the first time he has taken on the 100-mile challenge. Last year, Nathan walked another 100-miles in seven days raising nearly £2,000 for Dementia UK in memory of his great-grandmother Jean Canfield.
He said: “This year, I wanted to choose a local charity and with mental health being an important issue I did some research and looked into some of the work it does and decided on Every Life Matters. It’s obviously a very important issue in the local area and they do a lot of work for mental health and suicide awareness, so I thought it would be a good choice.”
Nathan added that his family, friends and school had been supportive of his challenge and had helped him keep motivated through his practice walks.
He said: “I’ve got some family walking with me on Monday and some friends on other days. I’ve got quite a lot of people willing to help me out.”
So far, Nathan has already hit his fundraising goal of £300 and he is hoping to raise even more once his challenge begins.
Talking about the support he has received so far, Nathan added: “Thank you very much for supporting me, it’s massively appreciated and gives me lots of motivation for the walk.”
You can support Nathan’s walk by donating at www.justgiving/nath-canfield100miles
