A man aims to break the world record in boat pulling at MoD Lyneham to raise awareness for youth mental health and suicide prevention.
Bernie Hollywood, 63, from Liverpool, is planning on rowing across the Atlantic on his own in December to raise money for mental health organisation Samaritans and British Rowing charity, LOVE Rowing.
Before this, Hollywood is planning on breaking the world record of pulling his boat 10 miles a day for 30 days, with each mile representing one young life lost to suicide each year.
This will take place on April 1 at the MoD Lyneham.
Since the start of the Covid pandemic, research has revealed that many young people experienced increased symptoms of anxiety and depression.
According to recent data from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, almost 400,000 young people sought specialist help for mental health problems in 2020 – a rise of 28 per cent from 2019.
Hollywood's goal is to raise awareness of youth mental health and raise a total of £1million to both of his charities of choice.
He has previously raised a total of £42 million for different charities.
Hollywood expects the row across the Atlantic to take anything between 60-90 days and he will have to row for approximately 18 hours a day, tackling waves up to 30 feet high.
Rowing across the Atlantic has been a dream of Hollywood's since he was a child; when he first went sailing with his late father.
The design and mural of the Boat of Hope were created by artist Justin Eagleton.
The Boat of Hope even has its own sea shanty which was created by musician and composer Ben Hughes.
The Boat of Hope Campaign is expected to end with a #BoatofHOPE exhibition in the UK's largest cathedral in June 2023.
Joining Hollywood on both his boat pulling challenge as well as the rowing trip is AB Bear, and RAF mental health teddy bear mascot who will be flown in by Chinook helicopter to help Bernie.
AB Bear is a character created by RAF mental health campaigner Richard Bland, who tragically lost his son to suicide, leaving behind a wife and children who were unaware of the state of his mental health.
Bland created AB Bear as a way to encourage families to talk about mental health.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here