A Lancaster grandfather has begun a unique paddling challenge for a mental health charity.
Mark Houghton will spend the next year 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, and 58-year-old Mark is doing it to raise funds for CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) - a national mental health charity that aims to combat suicide.
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, who are providing him with a top of the range MRS Tulo packraft.
"I've lost two family members to suicide including my grandad and felt the need to do something to try to make a difference’’, Mark explains.
"A lot of the places I'll be paddling are quite remote so everything has to be carried - having a boat that weighs so little will be ideal for the job".
Mark began his challenge last week by paddling across Yew Tree Tarn near Coniston and has also recently paddled Red Tarn in Langdale and Greenburn Tarn in Tilberthwaite. He expects his challenge to take a year to complete.
Michael Jarvis, fundraising manager with CALM, said: ‘’At CALM, we are experiencing a huge demand for our services. We answered over 157,000 calls for help in 2021 alone - a major increase since the start of the pandemic. Alarmingly, this trend shows no signs of slowing down.
‘’Mark's amazing packcraft paddling challenge will help us be there for everyone, no matter what.”
Jonathan Locke, director of Paqualife UK, added: ‘’Outdoor pursuits can play an important role in supporting our mental health, something we are passionate about promoting.
‘’We will be cheering Mark on all the way in his quest to raise awareness and support for this worthy cause."
Since hitting his 50s Mark has done some unique charity challenges. In 2015 he did a solo 400 mile walk from France to Lancaster to raise funds for the Alzheimers Society, where he raised £2400, while in 2016 he was the first person to run the Morecambe Bay Cycleway (81 miles from Barrow to Glasson Dock) in three days to raise money for St Johns Hospice.
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