Stafford man climbing Kilimanjaro with a fridge on his back to highlight mental health

A man from Staffordshire is to become the first in history to climb Mount Kilimanjaro whilst carrying a fridge.

It's all in an effort to get more support for mental health and more men talking about it.

Michael Copeland from Stafford is veteran of the Queen’s company 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards and served various roles during his tours of Bosnia and Iraq.

After his own battles with civilian life, along with regular challenges with mental health including anxiety and OCD, Michael decided to push his fitness and physical stamina to benefit his own wellbeing and to raise awareness for others.

Michael said: "I decided to start hiking which improved my mental health massively and physical fitness. This is where I began to get the idea to start raising money for mental health charities and hopefully be a positive light for other people struggling with their mental health.

"People don't want to talk about mental health, especially men, because it makes them feel weak or inferior. Infact, I think it's the opposite." said Michael.

"If you've got the courage to speak up and not care what people think about you, that's when you become powerful." he added.

"Carry the fridge, it represents the burden of mental health.

"I recently completed the UK'S national three-peak challenge whilst carrying a fridge to raise awareness for mental health and funds for Mind.

"I've tried to inspire other people to get outdoors and see what benefits the outdoors and physical fitness has on your mental health.

"The fridge is meant to symbolise and be a physical representation of mental health and what is it is like to carry the weight and burden if someone could see how you feel."

Follow Michael's journey and fundraising efforts here.

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