A CHIRK man is taking on a seven day charity trek in memory of his friend who took his own life last year.

Tim Gray-Coles will be walking more than 180 miles from his home in Epping, Essex, to his original hometown of Chirk, over the course of seven days.

In doing so, he is also raising money for Mind – a mental health charity which is close to Tim’s heart.

The walk is taking place in memory of Jason Williams, a friend of Tim’s from Chirk who took his own life in October 2019 at the age of 28.

Tim was originally set to take on the challenge in March to coincide with his 30th birthday, but the walk was postponed until August after the Covid-19 outbreak.

He was inspired by a similar challenge to attempt his own trek, and chose to support Mind because of the support offered by the charity.

“I got the motivation for the idea, although not as extreme, from Michael Cullen – better known to football fans as “speedo Mick”,” said Tim.

“He does tremendous fundraising for charities and finished his own 1000-mile walk back in February.

“Mind is a charity that’s close to my heart for many reasons – I’ve said it before, but no matter who you are, what background you’ve come from, you’ve probably dealt with mental health, whether that’s personally, through a member of the family or through a friend.

“The work Mind do is nothing short of wonderful. They’re with you literally every single step of the way, which when your suffering with mental health, is a huge help.

“I would urge anyone who may be struggling, especially in these uncertain times, to reach out to someone – you won’t be a burden on them.”

Tim has been taken back by the support he has received ahead of the challenge, after raising more than £800 before even setting off on the walk.

He continued: “The support has been amazing – I know every friend group would say this, but with the support of my family and friends I genuinely believe I could take on the world.

“When I’m on day four or five, struggling both physically and mentally, I know they’ll push me through it with their support.

“This walk is also in the memory of Jason, who I know would be my biggest supporter in all this.

“As with a lot of charities, the coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on Mind and raising money for them is important, but what’s more important to me is that we keep the message about mental health going.”

Tim is set to begin the charity walk on August 7, and is hoping to arrive in Chirk on August 14.

If you would like to donate to his fundraising efforts, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tim-gray-coles