Lancaster grandfather Mark Houghton is embarking on a year long charity paddling challenge in the Lake District for mental health charity, CALM.

Mark will be paddling every single body of still water in the Lake District – all the lakes, meres, waters and even remote mountain tarns. There are approximately 120 locations in all. This has never been done before and Mark is doing it to raise funds for the Campaign Against Living Miserably – a national mental health charity that aims to combat suicide. Mark told Cat how he’d lost two family members to suicide including his grandfather, and felt the need to do something to try to make a difference.

Since hitting his 50s Mark has done some unique charity challenges. In 2015 he completed a solo 400 mile walk from France to Lancaster to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society, raising £2400.

In 2016 he was the first person to run the Morecambe Bay Cycleway (81 miles from Barrow to Glasson Dock) in 3 days to raise money for St Johns Hospice, raising £500 raised.

This latest challenge allows Mark to combine his love for being on the water and his love of the Lake District. He is being supported by paqualife.co.uk who are providing him with a boat that weighs just over 2kg so it can be carried to remote paddling locations.

If you’d like to follow Mark’s progress or sponsor him, please click on the links below:

https://www.instagram.com/marks_paddling_marathon/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmtYSKlinZfItlqy1gnOtSA

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-houghton13