A CHARITY ambassador has launched a ground-breaking campaign to raise £500,000 to support more people with their mental health across the UK.

Alex Staniforth, founded Mind Over Mountains in 2020, a charity which helps to restore people’s mental health through therapeutic outdoor experiences in the Lake District and further afield.

After growing the charity for four years, the influential speaker and record-breaking adventurer now wants to scale up the charity on a national basis.

As a result, Alex has launched Project 500 – a campaign to raise half a million by June 2025 in time for his 30th birthday to highlight that suicide is now the biggest killer of under 35’s in the country.

He is calling on 500 organisations and/or schools to join the campaign and set individual targets.

“We want to apart of the solution and support available for people,” Alex said.

“In the process of Project 500, we want to encourage and inspire our community to get outside, be active and to challenge themselves to raise money.

“It’s an ambitious target, but it’s a team effort for our charity. I’m not going to hit half a million on my own from just doing challenges.

"We’ve got an array of people and companies who have done amazing things. I’m confident, but we don’t have a lot of time.

“I’m going to do everything I can to ensure we hit it.”

To begin, Alex will take on his one of his toughest challenges yet as he aims to complete the SILVA Northern Traverse starting on July 5 with minimum sleep.

(Image: Alex Staniforth)

He was due to embark on the 300km run with 6500m of ascent across the length of the country following Wainwright’s coast-to-coast route from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire back in April, but had to pull out due to suffering from COVID for the second time.

However, he says he is now ready for the challenge.

“The coast-to-coast is just the warmup, which gives you an idea of what I’m planning” Alex added.

“It’s all going to be running based in the UK, but I’m going to be running further and faster than I’ve ever done before.”

To make a donation to Project 500 and Mind Over Mountains, click here: https://mindovermountains.org.uk/pages/make-a-donation.