After surviving bipolar disorder, depression and addiction, Jonathan Kemp is walking more than 4,200 kilometres across the UK and the island of Ireland – not to break records, but to encourage people to talk about their mental health, where he will soon walk into Derry.

When Jonathan Kemp set off from the Shetland Islands on New Year’s Day, he said he wasn’t chasing a world record or ticking an item off a bucket list. He was setting out to encourage conversations about mental health wherever the road took him.

Now, seven months into the challenge, Jonathan hopes to create conversations that will help people to speak up about their mental health.

From August 8 until September 9, that journey comes to Northern Ireland, where Jonathan will walk approximately 380 kilometres in support of AWARE NI, the depression charity for Northern Ireland, before continuing to Galway, where he is expected to finish on October 18.

After years of living with mental health challenges, Jonathan now speaks openly about his experiences in the hope others feel able to ask for help sooner.

“This walk isn’t simply about covering the distance,” Jonathan said. “It’s about creating opportunities for people to stop, have a conversation and realise they’re not alone.”

He said that as he has travelled through towns, villages and cities that Jonathan has found strangers willing to stop, listen and, often, share experiences they had never spoken about before.

“I have been struck by how open people are when I share my own story about mental health and neurodiversity,” he said. “Many people, either themselves or through family or friends, have experienced similar challenges.”

One encounter, in particular, has stayed with him.

“There have been too many coincidences for them to be coincidences,” Jonathan said. “One man was walking his dog on a route he normally doesn’t take but felt a nudge to go that way. We stopped and had a chat. After I shared my experience, I could see his eyes welling up, and he told me his father had gone through the same.”

Moments like these, he says, remind him why he started walking.

“Previous generations of my family came from Northern Ireland and my grandmother was born in Dublin, so including Northern Ireland in this journey always felt important,” Jonathan said. “I’m proud to be supporting AWARE and helping encourage more open conversations.”

Jonathan will soon be arriving in Derry and other communities in the North. He plans to visit schools, workplaces, community organisations and several of Aware NI’s peer-led support groups before continuing towards Galway.

“I’ve realised people are often just waiting for someone to start the conversation,” Jonathan said.

“If sharing my story encourages even one person to reach out for support or speak honestly about how they’re feeling, then every step has been worthwhile.”

Finding Peace of Mind: An inspirational journey through bipolar, depression, addiction and dyslexia by Jonathan Kemp (Troubador Publishing, £12.99) is available now from book retailers.

The e-book is also available to download free of charge. For more information, visit jonathankemp.com.