CHRIS Barton set out at 10am on Saturday morning to walk continuously for 30 hours around the Blacktown International Sports Park Athletic Track, raising money for BREED Australia.

Over 150 fellow walkers joined Chris at different stages of his walk, with four of those also walking for the full 30 hours.

Chris set himself a fund-raising goal of $5,000 and he and his fellow walkers have raised nearly $20,000 to date, with fund-raising still open for prospective donors.

“We also had people drop in to donate, and businesses have also chipped in with donations,” said Chris.

“I managed to finish the walk, achieved my personal goal and fund-raising targets. Now I’m a bit sore.

“I covered 152km, equal to 206,000 steps.”

Chris turned the walk into a fun ‘Youth Mental Health Walk’ event, and had encouraged members of the Sydney community to join in.

“In Australia, 1 in 5 young people aged 12-17, and 1 in 4 young people aged 16-24, struggle with mental health challenges, such as anxiety and depression. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians aged 16-24 and this is not acceptable, as losing just one young person to suicide is too many.

“This isn’t just a walk, it’s a movement working towards a resilience revolution for young people.

“I’ve chosen to partner with BREED Australia, a western Sydney charity that will receive 100% of all funds raised through this event, to put into their School and Community Learning Programs (Emotional Intelligence, Resilience and Goal Achievement), working with schools and community groups in western Sydney.”

People wishing to donate can go to: https://donate.breedaustralia.com.au/campaigns/step-into-action