A MAN walking the UK coastline for an Armed Forces charity is heading to Cumbria next week.

Daniel McNeil embarked on his journey of a lifetime on March 15 2021 for the charity SSAFA (Soldiers', Sailors', and Airmen's Families Association) after struggling with his physical and mental health in the military. 

"I was in the Army for five years and got diagnosed with an auto-immune disease," said Daniel

"I was in a really bad state of mind and I smoked some weed so got dishonourably discharged in 2017 and my life went downhill from there."

"I did a cry for help on Twitter and SSAFA sent a case worker to my house and he helped me putting me back on my feet and I just wanted to turn my life around."

At the end of the last lockdown, Daniel said he wanted to help people but 'didn't know how to do it', so after a long meditation session, it came into his mind that he should walk the entire UK coastline to support the charity that helped him and inspire others with his story.

As he treks on, he is openly discussing social issues and the solutions to create 'a world full of love, joy, and healing' on his social media pages.

As part of the challenge, Daniel arrives in south Cumbria on October 12, heading from Grange to Ulverston, Barrow, Millom and Seascale. 

He said: "I'm looking forward to visiting the area but I don't know much about it. I purely have an adventurous mindset and I enjoy seeing places for the first time.

"Throughout this journey, I have seen all sorts of wildlife, sunrises, sunsets, and all kinds of weather, but the highlight is that it has put my faith back into humanity," he said.

"The people have been absolutely incredible to me and have given me places to stay, food and hot drinks, so it has been the best thing about the walk."

Daniel has raised £24,826 and hopes to raise the target of £30,000 before finishing his journey on November 18 at Sandyhills in Dalbeattie, Scotland.

To help Daniel's fundraiser visit his Just Giving Page here.