Friends, family and supporters will be embarking on an epic virtual challenge tomorrow (April 2) in memory of 22-year-old Ben Brown.

Ben from Gloucester, who was a student at Loughborough University and a member of the Punchline delivery team, died by suicide in April 2020.

In the third annual virtual challenge, hundreds of people will be aiming to cover 33,000km - the equivalent of travelling all the way round Africa and taking in its capital cities.

Challenges in 2020 and 2021 raised over £50,000 for three mental health and suicide prevention charities - Papyrus, CALM and Shout. Once again, the fundraisers will be supporting the charities, but the main aim is to raise awareness and get people talking about mental health.

Sam Corston-Garner was a friend of Ben's from Typhoon Squadron at Loughborough University and one of the group which set up the original challenge in 2020.

He said: "Many of us from Typhoon Squadron who were close to Ben found his loss hard to cope with. We had to find a way to cope with our grief. We wanted to do something positive in Ben's name, to make ourselves feel better and to give ourselves some direction and something to do with those emotions - the anger, grief and sadness."

Two years later, he feels it is important to keep doing the challenges.

"We wanted to destigmatise mental health and get people to open up. Physical challenges are a great way to get people involved in a good and healthy way. People can get involved at any level - by running, walking or cycling.

"It's about relating to people and remembering that it could happen to anyone. We have to be there for each other and collectively we can make a difference."

Meg Hartery is Ben's stepsister. She says the challenge is so important for spreading the mental health message.

"Mental health should be prioritised. A lot of people take physical health seriously, but mental health has a back seat.

"I was fortunate, I had friends and family around me in lockdown. But for a young person like Ben to suddenly be told you can't go anywhere is hard. Ben was very reliant on going out, friends and travelling. When struggling with mental health, to be on your own with your thoughts for that length of time is not good.

"The most important bit is breaking the stigma about mental health. A lot of people shy away from talking about mental health and suicide. The fact it's a difficult subject makes it really important. If Ben had said 'I'm really struggling', everyone would have helped him. You can save lives by talking about it.

"You don't think it's ever going to happen to you. Then it does, and it makes you realise. You need to be prepared to listen, understand and be there for people. None of us are alone."

The event starts on what would have been Ben's 24th birthday and runs until May 7.

It's not too late to get involved. Find out more find out more on Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/TheAfricaChallenge.