Telford man walking up and down the Wrekin for 24 hours in memory of his brother
A man is spending 24 hours walking up and down the Wrekin in a bid to raise money for mental health support in his brother's memory.
Simon Wootton, from Stirchley in Telford, was setting off on his marathon task at 11am on Friday, and will go up and down the famous hill until the same time tomorrow.
For Simon, a 53-year-old HGV driver, it is the latest challenge dedicated to his brother Thomas Butler, who took his own life at just 28.
Simon has previously climbed Snowdon twice, and carried out a bike ride around Lake Vyrnwy, all to raise money for Shropshire Mental Health Support.
He said he wanted to raise funds to help the charity, which supports those struggling with their mental health, as well as families affected, while also raising awareness of its work – and the ongoing issues of mental health.
Simon said: "The reason I am doing it is because we could not do anything to help Tom. Anything we can do to help someone else is really important and that is what Shropshire Mental Health Support do.
"They are only a small charity and they do such a lot for the community.
"It is awareness as well. The more people talk about it, the more people can get help. Unfortunately mental health will never go away but if we can help one or two people to think twice about it and maybe seek support, then that helps. Not just for them but the families affected as well."
Simon said his brother had been an incredibly active young man, who "loved walking" – inspiring his own decision to carry out the Wrekin challenge.
He said: "He would just go for a run up Snowdon for the fun of it."
Simon said he was unsure how many times he would make it up and down the landmark in the 24 hours – but had done four trips on Monday as part of his training.
Anyone who wants to support Simon's challenge can do so at justgiving.com/fundraising/simon-wootton5.
