What would you do to honour an old school pal?
42-year-old Nick Byrne, from Pontypool, has set himself a task that will challenge him physically.
He will be trekking through the largest hot desert in the world in memory of his late friend Lee Robinson, who died suddenly in May at 42 years old.
The trek will take place between 4 – 11 November.
Mr Byrne and Mr Robinson had been pals since the age of 11 and went to school together. Upon hearing of Lee’s death during a holiday in Cyprus, he was “devastated”.
Reminiscing about his friend, Nick said: “Lee and I were part of a big group of guys that hung out at school. My memories of him mostly include going out together in our teens, riding motorcycles and going to gigs. We didn’t see much of each other as we got older – life tends to take you in different directions.”
“Lee was just a great guy with a huge heart.”
Putting himself through something very testing is crucial for Nick. He is already well-known for raising thousands for charities in the area, mostly through live music events at his venue The Dragonffli.
He said: “I wanted to do something really off the wall and I had quite a few ideas.”
“I like my own company and thought this would be an even bigger test.”
Nick has suffered mental health issues himself and does not think he has seen the last of it.
He admitted: “You don’t know what it’s like until you’ve been there yourself. The support is shocking [for mental health]; I know Lee reached out, but it was too late.”
He hopes to raise better awareness and change attitudes towards men’s mental health, as well fundraising for Tidy Butt, a charity that supports men that are struggling.
Tidy Butt founder, Matt Creel said: “It’s an honour for us to be the charity of Nick’s choice while he undertakes this challenge. It’s due to people like Nick and their generosity that we are able to provide important things such as talking therapies to people who need us.”
Nick has already raised over half of his total target of £3,000.
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