Bognor mental health advocate to crawl 1.2 miles dressed as a tortoise

To ‘represent the battle that people with mental health endure’, an awareness advocate from Bognor Regis is looking to raise £900 by crawling 1.2 miles in a tortoise costume.
Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-1Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-1
Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-1

Joee Nash, founder of Facebook mental health support page ‘Guardian Angel’, will be travelling on his hands and knees from Arun Leisure Centre, in Felpham Way, to TAO bar in Bognor High Street on June 8.

He said: “I will be crawling just over 6,213 feet to represent the 6,213 males and females who committed suicide in 2017 in the UK and Ireland (that is the most recent data we have on suicide stats).

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“Every foot is to show my acknowledgement of each individual person who took their own life and to show them that even in the afterlife they are not alone and the world always did and still does care.

Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-1Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-1
Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-1

“I’m going to be wearing a tortoise costume that my sister-in-law’s mum is going to create for me.”

Joee said the crawl will represent people at their ‘worst point’.

He added: “The crawl is supposed to represent the battle that people with mental health endure. It shows the struggle of crawling through hell.

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“It’s a good way of showing that, rather than running or jogging. You’re on your hands and knees, at your worst point and just crawling through to get to the end.”

Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-3Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-3
Joee Nash is doing a sponsored crawl to support mental health. Photo: Kate Shemilt ks190221-3

Joee also raises awareness through street campaigns and this will be his third fundraising challenge in two years. “I’ve done a 5km swim just over a year ago which raised £600 for the Capital Project Trust,” he said. “In 2017, as a bit of fun, a group of us went out for a drink in Bognor dressed as women which raised just over £100.”

This time around, Joee wants to raise £900, split between the Capital Project Trust, Bognor Regis Men’s Shed and The Mental Health Foundation.

He said: “This is something I’ve battled myself for over a decade and I’m just trying to do my bit to help.”

You can donate to Joee’s fundraiser here.

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