Philanthropist continues epic world record challenge in Wiltshire for youth mental health
Bernie Hollywood has already raised more than £10,000 for charity!
A man who's attempting a world record challenge in Wiltshire, in aid of youth mental health, has reached the halfway stage of his epic journey.
Bernie Hollywood OBE is dragging a rowing boat 10 miles a day, for each of the 30 days in April, at MOD Lyneham.
Those 300 miles commemorate the 300 young people who die from suicide across the UK each year.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, the philanthropist said he wanted to "celebrate" those lives.
"The key motivation for all of this is to see if we can prevent a young person, a young child, going into a depression and sadly taking their lives at the end of that.
"Even if we open-up one conversation between a parent, a guardian, a carer and a child, we will have done our job," he added.
WATCH: Launch of world-record boat pull at MOD Lyneham
The charity campaign is also being supported by Richard Bland, whose son Andrew tragically died from suicide nine years ago.
Richard is now urging anyone who's struggling mentally to "talk to somebody" about their feelings.
"Every single day we think about Andrew. Every day you wake-up and you have unanswered questions.
"Nobody prepares you to lose somebody to suicide ... it's just horrendous," he told Greatest Hits.
Not satisfied with his monumental challenge this month, Bernie will also row across the Atlantic Ocean in the very same boat.
The 3,000 mile solo mission gets underway in December and is expected to last between 60 and 90 days.
In the meantime, Bernie will tour schools across the UK to raise awareness of his journey and further encourage open conversations about mental health.
Aptly coined The Boat of Hope, the 63-year-old's campaign has so far raised more than £10,000, with a final target of £1 million.
The proceeds are being shared between the Samaritans and LOVE Rowing. The latter makes the sport more accessible for underprivileged communities.
Anyone who's been affected by this story can use the Hub of Hope to find local mental health support services.