Mental health campaign continues despite injury

A man who is walking to Downing Street to call for better funding for children's mental health services says he is determined to finish his journey despite suffering a knee injury.

Rob Collins, from Kidderminster, Worcestershire, began the journey from his son Mitch's memorial bench at Wolverley Secondary School on 28 March.

Mitch died in 2019 and since then, his family has campaigned for better mental health support for young people.

A petition calling for Mitch's Law - which started in 2020 - has gathered more than 13,600 signatures. The family said they needed 100,000 for a parliamentary debate.

The petition calls for the government to fund mental health workers in schools and the Collins family said this would help address long waiting lists and gaps in care.

The walk was first announced at Mitch's wake in May 2019 but was repeatedly postponed, firstly because of the Covid pandemic and later due to Rob Collins' health.

Collins had initially planned to walk the full route to 10 Downing Street to deliver the petition.

"I went down a really steep hill and popped one of the cartilages in my knee," he said.

"I walked through Long Marston thinking, 'it'll go away, it'll go away' and the next day I could barely walk."

His wife, Lisa, stepped in to continue the walk, with Rob expecting to rejoin on Thursday to complete the final stretch into central London.

The family hope to reach Downing Street on Saturday and their eldest son, Drew, plans to walk the last three days with his father.

Rob Collins said young people dealing with mental health problems "deserve better".

"We would do this a million times over if it could have saved Mitch," said Lisa Collins.

"We do not want any child, family or friends to go through what we have gone through."

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