ALMOST two years ago, Maldon man Jake Tyler departed Brighton on an epic 3,000 mile trek that would see him walk the entire length of Britain.

Jake, 31, embarked on his journey to raise awareness of mental health struggles and funds for the Mental Health Foundation, having suffered with depression himself.

Along the way he ended up running a marathon, filming a BBC documentary, and meeting Prince William and Prince Harry.

On Saturday he arrived back in Brighton.

Jake was diagnosed with depression in 2015 while working in a bar in East London.

He resigned and moved back to Maldon, where he began cognitive brain therapy and opened up to his family and friends about his battle.

He began to exercise more, and the sights he saw while walking around the district inspired him to tackle his challenge.

Jake said: “Maldon is a beautiful place. I had nothing else to do and I just started taking walks around the town.

“The more I did it the more I felt like it was helping. I was walking off this depression and it made me feel incredible.

“I thought to myself, if it can work for me it can work for other people.”

And so Jake began his Black Dog Walks trek. On his journey he regularly updated people of his progress through social media.

These updates lead to him becoming involved in the Mind Over Marathon BBC documentary, which focused on the links between exercise and mental health.

During the filming, Jake got a chance to meet his “new hero” Prince Harry. He said: “I had the honour of meeting Prince Harry a couple of months ago, where we discussed what life can be like for men suffering with poor mental health.

“I remember being really impressed at how candid he was, and admired how someone of his stature could be so OK with discussing what goes on inside his own head.”

Jake is now back in Maldon, 20 months after he left on his adventure, and is now looking forward to whatever challenge waits next.

He added: “I’m actually really looking forward to spending some time dossing about in my hometown.

“I can’t think of a better place to process everything and to start plotting my next move.”

To donate to Jake’s campaign, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/takeawalk.