A Sheffield man has run the height of Everest in memory of his cousin and to raise funds for a mental health charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Simon Watts, from Greystones, climbed the hill in Bingham Park a total of 255 times to reach the 8,848m height of Mount Everest.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Watts ran the equivalent of a 30,000ft climb\u00a0 in just under 30 hours over the weekend and raised over \u00a31,500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ‘Everesting Challenge’ involves people continuously either cycling or running up and down a hill until they reach the height of Mount Everest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Watts took on the challenge in tribute to his cousin Rachael, who took her own life last August to raise money for the Mind Over Mountains charity.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said: \u201cHonouring her memory was the main driving force for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt’s so inspiring that complete strangers are so willing to donate to causes and spread the word about mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mind over Mountains offers professional mental health support through nature walks and outdoor mindfulness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Helen Wooldridge, head of marketing and communications at Mind over Mountains, said: \u201cWhat Simon has achieved is not just the money he has raised, he has helped the profile of the charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWith mental health services so stretched, more and more people need help and charities like ours are becoming more and more important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She added that it would raise awareness for mental health in general and particularly men’s mental health which she described as \u2018so important and huge\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr Watts raised over \u00a32,700 for another mental health charity in 2021 through a series of physical challenges in memory of his friend who took his own life that year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He took part in the Lands End to John O’Groats cycle challenge, a 874 mile trip that spans the full length of the UK, over several days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Watts added: \u201cOne thing that spurred me on throughout is showing people that everyone is capable of far more than they think.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To find out more about Mind over Mountains, visit the website: https:\/\/mindovermountains.org.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/shef-live.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/ee0914f3-9324-4b17-a1a6-b70d3d60308c.jpg\")