A writer has trekked 4,200 kilometres over ten months on a charity walk across the UK and Ireland, and received a warm welcome to Lancaster. This is to raise funds for mental health charities.
Writer shares bipolar, addiction struggles during 296-day charity walk
Jonathan Kemp arrived in the city centre on day 115 of his 296-day Finding Peace of Mind Walk. He embarked on the journey on January 1, setting out from the Shetland Islands towards Galway, Ireland, via Scotland, England, and Wales.
The walk raises money for four mental health charities: SAMH, Mind, Aware NI, and Aware. Lancaster Area Police shared a photo of officers with Kemp at Lancaster Castle.
“Along the way, Jonathan is sharing his lived experiences, strength, and hope of bipolar disorder, depression, addiction, and dyslexia,” a police spokesperson said.
Kemp is the author of ‘Finding Peace of Mind,’ a book offering insight and hope for anyone navigating mental health or neurodiversity. He documented his Lancaster stop on Instagram.
He however, wrote on his Instagram page that by around 11 o’clock, he had been feeling unwell and exhausted. This prompted him to return to his room to sleep for a couple of hours.
Meanwhile, he added that he thought the exertion of the previous few weeks had caught up with him.
After meeting Police Community Support Officers from Lancashire Police, Kemp remarked that he found discussions about police work interesting. The writer also notes that the basics of the job did not appear to have changed since his service in the Met Police in the 1980s.
Additionally, he also expressed his belief that police officers now face much more pressure due to social media and the constant filming of their actions.
Former met officer discovers routine, structure as keys to mental well-being
When officers asked whether his time in the police had impacted his mental health, Kemp reflected that. The writer looks back with fresh eyes, and being in the police had actually helped him a great deal.
He further noted that he had trained with a great group of people, made good friends whom he still knows today, and had some amazing experiences. Hence, added that he knows community is really important for mental well-being.
He further explained that what he did not realise until much later was that routine, structure, and clear purpose and objectives had helped give him a framework for day-to-day living. He explained that it was only many years later, during Covid that he realised how crucial those elements are for his health.
“Even on this walk, I try to put a routine in place, give myself some set of objectives every day, and break my day down into manageable chunks – all of which make a real difference.”
In a recent development, hundreds of participants took to the streets of Monaco for the 15th annual Pink Ribbon 5km charity Walk. The participants rallied to raise awareness of women’s cancers and promote the life-saving importance of early detection.