A SOUTHEND man conquered a 257-kilometre coast-to-coast challenge on his electric skateboard in aid of a mental health charity which helped him through his darkest moments.

Thomas Kilminster, 32, rode his electric skateboard – which can hit top speeds of 50mph – from Whitehaven to Sunderland, across the North Pennines, to fundraise for charity.

Battling heavy rain, wind and carrying 25kg of kit, Mr Kilminster says the challenge was one of the hardest experiences of his life, but worth every minute.

“I was suicidal two years ago and ANDYSMANCLUB helped me on my road to recovery,” he said.

“At one point on top of the Pennines, I had climbed hundreds of feet onto this plateau and ahead of me was a stretch of emptiness and passing through that felt like it represented the journey I had been on.

“The third day, the weather was bad, it was the worst conditions I have ever been in and getting through that also felt similar to what I had been through beating suicidal thoughts.”

Mr Kilminster has so far raised half of his £2,000 goal for ANDYSMANCLUB, a suicide prevention charity that supports men's mental health and has clubs in Southend and Basildon.

“I want to raise money for this charity that helped me so much, but mainly I want to raise awareness and get people talking about men’s mental health,” Mr Kilminster said.

The journey was tough, as with the weight of his kit, his electric skateboards battery range was severely reduced from its usual 80-mile range.

He said: “The whole way I was having to be very careful to stop and charge up, as if I had gotten stuck at the top of a mountain I would have been in big trouble.

“I was praying it wouldn’t break down, as the boards are not made to slosh through wet and muddy conditions. Ironically, as I arrived at my end point I looked down and saw I had a flat tyre, but at that point I had made it.”

Mr Kilminster documented his journey on Youtube, to watch his journey visit: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThomasBBoyStretch/videos

You can donate by visiting: https://gofund.me/f995330b