James Climbs Ben Nevis to Raise Mental Health Mind Charity Awareness

With mental health on the rise James wanted to encourage young men suffering from depression and anxiety by speaking out and raising awareness that it is ok for men ‘to talk’ about how they are feeling, especially during these unprecedented times. “It couldn’t be more important to talk about how you feel during lockdown, especially if you are on your own,” comments James.  With a friend, he took to Scotland’s iconic mountain Ben Nevis and faced challenging weather. The day they chose to climb Ben Nevis, Storm Aiden with gale force winds, snow, rain and hail stones was in full force. They were faced with a tough climb but they managed to get through it and stayed positive. His target was to raise £200 for the mental health charity and so far has raised £585 and was one of the top fundraisers on Just Giving last month. 

James posted his experience on Instagram @jamesalfieparrhair “For anyone that thought there was never a way out, that has suffered in silence with their demons, that has numbed the pain of the past with substances, that thought they couldn’t get through the day, that has lost it all, this climb today was for you!” he adds. “Ben Nevis you were truly a force to be reckoned with along with the mother of all storms that was taking place when we were doing our climb, it summed up everything I’ve learnt during my sobriety, you can’t pick the hand you are dealt but you can use it to the best of your ability and try and make it work to your advantage, life is for living, do whatever is it’s that makes you happy! To everyone that donated to my just giving page raising money for @mindcharity thank you so much.”