Epic challenge highlights mental health condition
A TEAM of cyclists finished on a high after completing the Land’s End to John O’Groats challenge to raise money for bipolar disorder.
The illness is characterised by significant mood swings including manic highs and depressive lows – the inspiration behind the name of the Highs and Lows charity bike ride.
Leading the team north between May 31 and June 18 was the managing director of adventure travel company Explore, Ashley Toft.
Toft’s team of eight took on some of the UK’s highest and lowest points on the mainland to correspond with the highs and lows experienced by bipolar sufferers, completing much of the epic journey off road.
Toft rode the 19-day journey in memory of his brother, Duncan, who sadly took his own life in 2009 as a result of suffering from the illness.
Since then Toft has set up his own charity, Explore Bipolar, which acts as an intermediary support group with Bipolar UK, the national charity dedicated to supporting individuals with the condition.
"I wanted to make sure that my brother didn’t die in vain and that’s why I set up Explore Bipolar," he said.
"I’m always up for a challenge so by undertaking the Land’s End to John O’Groats route almost exclusively off road, we aimed to up the ante and really work for our donations – very few people have cycled end-to-end this way."
Toft and his team are aiming to raise £150,000 by the end of the year to establish Bipolar Link – one-to-one mentoring for highly vulnerable individuals with the illness.
More information can be found on the Explore Bipolar website at www.explorebipolar.org/
For further information on bipolar and the work of Bipolar UK, call 0207 931 6480 or visit www.bipolaruk.org.uk