A GRIEVING York dad took part in a gruelling 40-mile trek through the night in memory of his son who died by suicide aged just 30.
As reported in The Press, Full Sutton prison officer and dad-of-two Nicholas Wilkes died in February.
His dad Shaun, of Strensall, completed the endurance challenge alongside a group of Nicholas's work colleagues, who had organised the walk in his memory and to raise money for mental health charity MIND.
Shaun said: "It was hard work - I didn't realise how hard."
It took the group some 16 hours to complete the route from Osmotherley to Ravenscar. Although Shaun avoided blisters, he admits "my knees gave out in the end".
But hard as it was, everyone was spurred on to complete the challenge in memory of Nick.
Shaun said: "Despite it being hard, it was one of the most enjoyable things I have done. Nick's colleagues were absolutely brilliant and at no point did anyone say it was too hard - they all wanted to do it for Nick.
Read more: Obituary - Prison officer Nicholas Wilkes, who has died aged 30
"It was nice to hear them talk about him and hear all the funny stories. They talked about him as if he was still there. They were a very close group."
He added: "It was not a solemn occasion and despite how hard it was we had fun. It was really nice spending time with them and I still keep in touch with them through our WhatsApp group.
"Having these people around has made me feel no so alone and kept his memory alive and I can't thank them enough"
The walk raised more than £2,300 for MIND.
Shaun said the route of the walk - called the Lyke Wake Walk - held special significance.
He said: "The walk takes place across the highest and widest parts of the North York Moors. The route remembers the many corpses carried over the moors on old coffin routes and the ancient burial mounds encountered on the way; the name derives from a lyke, the corpse and the wake - watching over the deceased.
"The group started the walk at 11pm on Good Friday and walked through the night and finished the walk at 4pm on Saturday, April 17."
Over the coming months, Shaun said the family would be undertaking further fundraising activities in order to raise awareness of and prevent male suicide.
Nicholas's mum, Jenny, along with friends and family, will be completing a walking marathon on Saturday, May 14 and there will be a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses on June 25, 2022, which would have been Nicholas's 31 birthday.
You can make a donation by clicking here: or search for 'Lyke Wake Walk for Wilkes' on JustGiving.
And you can donate to Jenny's walk here.
Contact York Samaritans at www.samaritans.org or telephone for free: 116 123
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here