Men carrying fridges aim to walk to Benidorm

Tom Burgess
BBC News, North East and Cumbria
BBC Thomas Judge and Kev Wilcox are sat on either side of a fridge in a radio studio. The fridge has flags attached to the top of it. Both men are smiling at the camera.BBC
Thomas Judge and Kev Wilcox are aiming to walk to Benidorm with fridges on their backs

Two men are aiming to walk 1,400 miles (2,250km) with fridges strapped to their backs to raise mental health awareness and charity funds.

Thomas Judge and Kev Wilcox have been causing a stir while training in north-east England for their walk from Middlesbrough to Benidorm in Spain.

The pair will set off on 30 August and they aim to spark meaningful conversations while walking 22.3 miles (about 36km) every day of their 12-week journey.

Mr Judge explained how the fridge symbolised the weight and struggle that people suffering with mental health issues endured every day, adding that people had opened up when they saw the pair doing something unusual.

Together they will be raising awareness and funds for Mr Judge's charity First Contact UK Mental Health.

Thomas is dressed in a navy t-shirt with a large fridge strapped to his back with rucksack straps. Kev is stood next to him with a cap on and a coat.
During training the pair are walking 15 miles a day around the north east

Mr Wilcox first met Mr Judge while he was out walking and they quickly formed a close friendship through their struggles with PTSD.

Mr Wilcox said: "Tom was looking for volunteers to walk along the beach with and I got to know him.

"I suffer from PTSD as well as Tom so we clicked and, before I knew it, I've got a fridge on my back."

Mr Judge added the fridge was a "magnet" for conversation, with people asking questions such as if there were any beers in it.

He said: "People open up when they see something unusual and its good for them to talk about how they are feeling as well.

"We have had some really heart-stopping moments and conversations."

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