45-year-old Jim Mcilwain is a man on a mission. He has disconnected from the grid, shut off from the news and done a ‘Forest Gump’ except that he is walking rather than running the length of the UK.
You can visit Jim’s GoFundMe page Here.
Jim who was self employed before he became ill is raising awareness for mental health and suicide prevention. His reason is clear, he suffers with mental health issues himself and has contemplated suicide on a number of occasions.
Jim said that he was listed as a missing person for two weeks until someone found him trying to end his life.
He said: “I had a dream a vision about walking the coastline. I sold my car for £700 and three days later I started hiking and I have been hiking ever since.”
Jim told us that it is only a short step for people from living a ‘normal’ life, having a family and a job to being homeless and on the streets.
Jim has found life very tough but he has turned his suffering into a positive by deciding to set off on a walk armed only with the essentials he needs for survival. It is only the kindness of strangers, that offers him respite from the cold, a roof over his head and a warm meal.
Jim said: “I have been wild camping living in my tent 99% of the time. Now and again someone will reach out and offer me some help.”
One such person is Fanny from Kidwelly (pictured) who reached out to Jim after seeing his story online. Fanny offered Jim a room for the night and Jim was delighted to get out of the wet Welsh weather. He said it was lovely to meet such kind local people.
Jim told us that he has met people from all walks of life on his walk from other homeless people to doctors. He said that his aim is to help others and that he would like to provide a sanctuary for people who need help urgently. His ideas is to set up a wild camping site if he can get the funds. Jim said that he had been offered prescription drugs for his mental health issues but that they only made things worse.
Jim advocates communing with nature and getting away from the pressures of life in order to heal and take an important stock of things. He started his journey from the West Country and that is where he will finish his mammoth walk. He said: Every day is an adventure and it has done wonders for me. It is challenging and hard and I battle with myself regularly. Just keeping myself clean is a challenge.”
Jim posts and updates his Facebook page if you want to follow his progress. One such post reads:
“I just want to remind you all today that it’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to cry and it’s okay to tolerate your anxious thoughts. Sometimes you have to go through phases of emptiness and isolation to be full again. But don’t give up, every breakdown sleepless nights are moving you closer to a sudden breakthrough. I believe that no matter how stuck and how tired you’re feeling today you still have a beautiful future coming.”
Jim said that all he wanted to do was to help people in the same position as himself. He said that at the end of the walk he will still be homeless and without a job. When asked if he agreed with the comments that we should be helping our homeless people before migrants he said that he was not interested in politics but if he were, he would like to see nurses, teachers and people in the emergency services running the country.
Follow Jim on #jimsmental
Listen to our interview with Jim here:
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