“The need to look after my mental health became apparent when I was at university and feeling isolated,” says 24-year-old Lewis Sharp. “I had a strong support network, but I recognised there was a problem. I found help through the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).”
After the loss of a close friend in August 2021, Lewis decided he wanted to do something to help other people struggling with their mental health.
“My friend was already coping with depression, but the lockdowns really impacted him. It’s the classic story, he was male, aged 44, single and living in Wolverhampton without much support around him.
That’s when his mental health started to deteriorate. Losing him was really tough: he’d helped me with my own issues when I was at university, and I struggled again with my own thoughts after his death.
He’d been part of our group of friends who always went to football together. I started thinking about what I could do to try and make a difference.”
Lewis and his friend Ross Malyon, whose dad suffers from PTSD, joined Pause, an online community aimed at changing perceptions of mental health. They made two videos on the platform detailing their own experiences, before planning their first fundraiser in May 2022.
“We wanted to do something for our local community, so we arranged a golf day and dinner at Farleigh Golf Club, to raise money for a young boy called Theo, who lives in Warlingham.
He has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and we were aware of the mental health stresses that going through something like that puts on the whole family. We raised approximately £12,000 for them.”
Lewis says that Theo is a massive inspiration to him. “You just think, if a boy his age can deal with that, and go on every day, so can I!”
Lewis then took on CALM’s Lost Hours Walk in October 2022, covering 19 miles from his home in Caterham to Brentford FC’s stadium, to watch his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers play, a team he began supporting through his grandad.
“CALM has really helped me, and they are a brilliant charity in terms of how they market themselves towards young men. I didn’t overly publicise the fact I was doing the walk, but my friends all sponsored me and I ended up raising £3,600 for CALM. I thought ‘wow, this could really take off.’”
His next challenge raised the stakes: walking to Wolverhampton to watch Wolves take on Crystal Palace, his local premier league club, in their last home game of the 2023/24 season.
This time, he’d be walking the 129 miles for a trio of good causes: CALM, the Wolves Foundation, the official charity of Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, and Palace for Life Foundation, the official charity of Crystal Palace FC. Lewis chose the two latter organisations for the part they play in making a difference to the lives of the people in their communities.
“Once I decided to do it, I put it straight out on social media so I couldn’t back out. I hadn’t even told my parents, and they rang me up saying ‘You’re absolutely crazy, do you know how far that is?!” I told them I’d be fine!”
As part of his training regime, Lewis planned to walk to other Wolves away fixtures around London, including Arsenal, West Ham and Chelsea, but he soon turned these into an extension of his challenge, and another opportunity to raise money. By 5 May 2024, he, along with friends, had walked to seven games, covered 130 miles and raised £4,500.
On 7 May, Lewis, accompanied by mum Lisa, set out on the first leg of his Wolverhampton walk: an astonishing 39-mile route from Caterham to King’s Langley. The next day, he was on his own to Milton Keynes, which he found much more difficult.
“After Hemel Hempstead, there was about 20km with no pavement, which was awful. I stopped, thinking ‘I can’t do this’, and worrying that I was going to let everybody down, but I rang my dad, Mathew, who talked to me and helped me get going again.
I set off on an alternate route along the Grand Union Canal, which was much easier. The improved environment made a world of difference, which told me a lot about taking time to consider your options and try new paths.”
Day three took Lewis from Milton Keynes to Braunston, where he had to cope with the additional stress of sunburn, but was also joined by friend Josh for the final 10k. Day four was another tough one.
“Josh and I started walking slowly at 7.30am, reaching Great Barr in Birmingham at 9.30 that evening,” he says. “I had shin splints and blisters, but by this point there was no way I was giving up! The next morning we were joined by more friends, and we walked the final distance to Molineux Stadium – I really enjoyed that bit!”
Lewis’ fundraising total now stands at nearly £10,000.
“I really wasn’t expecting to raise that much, so it’s been brilliant. It’s also really inspired me to think about what I’m capable of doing, and what challenges I can take on in the future.”
If you are able to donate, visit givewheel.com/fundraising/1502/walk-to-wolves.
