Essex man in latex suit raising money for mental health charity
He poses for photos with the public in return for donations
A man who walks around Essex dressed head to toe in rubber latex has raised nearly £1000 for charity.
The man, known as the Gimp Man of Essex (TGMoE), pops up across the county in his suit, and allows people to take pictures with him, in return for a donation to mental health charity, Mid and North East Essex Mind.
TGMoE first started appearing publicly in his suit 9 years ago, after what he calls "a self-dare".
Since then, he's made various appearances across Essex, posing for photos and videos, and spreading a positive message about mental health. He says the public have responded positively: "It's completely different to what I thought it would be. The reaction has been a lot more positive than I ever expected.
"It's quite funny, often I see people walking along who say: 'Look at him across the road!" to one another but might be too scared to talk to me. If I see someone doing that, I'll give them a smile or a wave and go and talk to them, break the ice.
"I tell them what I'm doing and why, and then they often want a picture with me! For every 50 positive comments I get walking around, say, Colchester, I'll get one negative comment, but I just ignore it...
"If I enjoy it, and want to push some boundaries, why shouldn't I do some good with it as well? I do get a buzz from wearing it, it's my relaxation...
"Never judge a book by its cover. Why shouldn't someone be allowed to wear what they want in public if they're not doing any harm?"
He does have rules for himself though: "I never go out in the suit in the dark, I don't want to scare anyone, even inadvertently. I'll also avoid going out in the summer holidays when there are lots of kids about."
TGMoE decided to raise money for Mid and North East Essex Mind after having some issues with his own mental health: "Many years ago I had a small brush with my own mental health, luckily nothing too serious, but it got me thinking.
"At the time, we were still in the wrong attitude of telling people to get on with it and pull themselves together... it was nothing like it is now, where it's in the media and in schools.
"Thankfully now, children and adults know they can talk to people if they have mental health issues... but there are still lots of people struggling and I want to help people to get the help they need."
TGMoE hasn't made too many appearances recently, thanks to very hot weather, which would make the suit uncomfortable to wear, but as we come in to the autumn, he's promised a few reappearances - with the next one planned in Maldon in "a few weeks time".
He has this message for any members of the public who may spot him out and about: "Don't be afraid, say hi, give me a wave and if you want to have a chat, we'll have a chat.
"If you want a picture or a video, let's do it. I'm there for everyone's entertainment... and if you have a spare couple of pounds, please donate to Mid and North East Essex Mind. They're doing fantastic work - and a lot of it - with big waiting lists of people needing help. Every little really does help."