Football
Scotland fan completes 1,000-mile walk from Hampden to Munich for charity
A Scotland fan has completed a 1,000 mile walk from Glasgow to the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany to raise money and awareness for men’s mental health.
Craig Ferguson, of Paisley, set off on foot from Scotland’s national football stadium Hampden, to Munich, on May 4.
After 37 days on the road, the 20-year-old arrived to a guard of honour and the world’s media in Munich on Thursday – and told STV News he couldn’t have “dreamt of a better finish”.
He said: “I can’t believe it. The sun is shining.
“All these people here just to see, you know, a daft 20-year-old from Scotland walking in, like, and it’s just amazing and honestly I couldn’t have dreamt of a better finish-line.
“Sharing stories along the way, that’s been my favourite part and one thing, what I will say is, you know, it’s become so apparent to me that, while spreading the message of men’s mental health all across these countries, is that everyone has their own story.”
Craig embarked on the trek in an effort to raise funds for Brothers in Arms, a Scottish men’s mental health charity.
He has since raised over £55,000 for the charity, surpassing his original target by £5k.
The money raised for Brothers in Arms will go towards the development of a digital “talking and listening” tool named Blethr that aims to lower the male suicide rate in Scotland.
Craig added: “It just goes to show you that it’s such a big topic and in specific the, you know, the issue of men’s mental health is just not spoken about enough.
“So, if I could sort of, you know, take the mantle to try and raise awareness for it then, I mean, I’m super proud of that and like I said, I think that has maybe been achieved by the amount of people here.”
Brothers in Arms founder Dan Proverbs thanked Mr Ferguson for his support, and said “promoting men’s mental health awareness is a global issue” that is “severely underfunded”.
He added: “We are incredibly proud of Craig.
“He is a shining example of what can be achieved when you set your mind to it, and we are so grateful that he has chosen to complete this epic challenge for Brothers in Arms.”
Donations to Craig’s walk can be made here.
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
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