An Evertonian is turning his personal battles with mental health into his inspiration as he takes on a gruelling 5000-mile bike ride to raise vital funds for a handful of charities, including Everton in the Community’s People’s Place mental health campaign.
On Sunday 12 July, Ryan Anderton from Keighley will cycle the first of his 5,070 miles along the coast of Britain, or the roads closest to it. The challenge will be broken down into 40 stages and is expected to take 40 days to complete.
Dubbed ‘Ryan Rides Round Britain’, the challenging fundraising initiative will also see Ryan raise money for mental health charity ‘Hammersley Homes’, Mental Health Foundation, the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund and the NHS with all monies raised split evenly between the four charities.
Donate to Ryan’s fundraising causes here.
Ryan’s reasons for taking on such a huge task stems from his own personal experiences of which he describes in the build up to his epic cycling challenge:
“I’ve struggled with my mental health since I was about 17” Ryan openly admits. “I’ve had several suicide attempts and struggled with life generally.
“I started cycling about four years ago and it was the best thing I’ve ever done; that and talking about my mental health, being open about it and not being ashamed of struggling and asking for help.
“That’s what I’ve tried to portray that whilst I do these charity rides to help others, cycling really helps me with my mental health.”
The People’s Place is Everton in the Community’s proposed mental health facility which will provide tailored support for anybody suffering with mental health. Located just 500 metres away from Goodison Park, the building will promote positive mental health whilst delivering support relating to suicide awareness and prevention.
And as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic, the need for The People’s Place is greater now than ever before with the knock-on effects of the virus and the lockdown measures associated risk factors for poor mental health and suicide.
“The People’s Place is a fantastic idea,” adds Ryan. “Everton are known for being the first to do so much stuff in the past, so being the first to have a specific purpose-built mental health hub is amazing and is one of the key reasons as to why I wanted to include Everton in the Community in my fundraising. I think once Everton lead the way for a facility like this, others will follow suit with something similar so it will be vitally important for the country.
“Through cycling, I’ve developed resilience and I enjoy the wellbeing side of being away from home and the escapism. I get to see some amazing places and views, and that’s good for your wellbeing, being mindful of where you are and being in the moment.”
Support for Everton in the Community’s latest fundraising campaign was given a welcome boost when it was recently announced that all proceeds from the spine-tingling, documentary ‘Howard’s Way’ would be generated towards the mental health initiative.
The documentary focuses on the inside story of Howard Kendall’s glorious Everton team in the 1980s, and it was that important passage of time in history that saw Yorkshire-born, Ryan fall in love with the Blues.
“I started supporting Everton after the 1985 season and Cup Winners Cup win and I’m proud to say I’ve got the badge tattooed on my arm” affirmed Ryan.
“I have seen the Howard’s Way film and I think it’s brilliant. It brings back memories of my era of becoming an Evertonian and I can still name that team fondly from 1985/86.”
Support Ryan and The People’s Place campaign here.
