Banff squaddie's Yorkshire mission
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A Banff soldier posted down in Yorkshire is taking on a daily cycling challenge to raise money and awareness for a mental health charity.
Staff Sergeant David Jarvis is attempting to cycle 60km everyday.
Money raised will be split between the mental health charity Mind and the Royal Signals Charity.
David said: "Mental health and wellbeing has and is going to be important in the coming months.
"The Royal Signals Charity has enabled me to directly benefit 100-plus cyclists around the Corps through support on cycling training camps and lots more indirectly when they returned to their units."
David is based at Catterick Garrison which is in an area of the UK currently under a strict lockdown.
He chose 60km as it represents the amount of hours a typical small business like a shop or café would be open in a normal week.
The 38-year-old added: "I’m aiming to raise £1395.20 which represents the amount an over 25-year-old person in the UK could make in a month while on minimum wage from working 40 hours per week.
"Being in the military gives me assurance that my wages are protected.
"I don’t know how I'd feel if I didn’t know where my next wage was coming in — how I'd support my family or put food on the table.
"I can only imagine what it must be like for business owners having to close up permanently and cut jobs.
"Then there are the workers loosing their jobs.
"More importantly, if the adults are struggling, how are the children finding this situation.
"I don’t know how I would cope in that situation or what the impact would be on my mental health, let alone my families.”
"The majority of my rides have consisted of doing laps round the garrison.
"I haven’t been home since October.
"My job would have kept me here during lockdown anyway so the routine is keeping my mental health in check as well!"
To donate to David’s appeal click here
