Exclusive:
A football fan is walking 800 miles to all 20 Premier League stadiums with the hope to raise awareness and money for Mental Health
After struggles with mental health, Charles is walking 800 miles to every Premier League Stadium to show you are not alone.
Charles Prescott, 28 started his journey at Newcastle United’s St James Park on Saturday 1st aiming to finish at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road within a month – walking up to 30 miles per hour. He told the mirror, the drive behind ensuring he completes the challenge is simple for Charles – remembering why he started.
He found his inspiration from watching a Sidemen video, where they visited every Premier League club in a day using different forms of transport but he’s taking on the challenge on foot.
Charles said: “This is something really close to my heart. I’ve suffered a lot in the past and even to this day, not only me, loads of my friends and family have suffered with mental health. I always wanted to do something big and I thought screw it.”
This walk is more than a challenge for Charles, it’s a message. By doing this walk he aims to show people you are not alone. “That’s what I hope to let people know they’re not alone, there are people out there who will help if you reach out.” he said. Charles chose to fundraise for Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), as the charity provided support while he was going through bad times.
He said: “I remember once their phone lines were supposed to be closed but a staff member stayed on the phone to me, to make sure I was okay. They stayed on until the very end. They cared. It’s time for me to give back.” Charles was brought up in Bromley but found his love for football with North London’s Arsenal, this season he has been fortunate to attend many games and has found a family in other Gooners.
“When I’m at a football game, all my troubles and worries go away during the 90 minutes .”
To prepare himself, Charles has been doing long distance walks and to mentally prepare himself he keeps saying “My goal is to do this within a month, I’m going to complete this no matter what happens, I’m going to keep going regardless.”
“This is not just about CALM, but all charities which help people struggling with mental health. In football games, it’s like 90 minutes away from everything, I hope other football fans will see that even though you’re not at a game, you are still not alone
To support CALM charity and Charles as he takes on this journey, visit here.
