A MAN taking on an epic 2600-mile walk to raise awareness and funds for mental health support is stopping at Invergordon today (Wednesday) to share his remarkable story in a bid to inspire open conversations.
Jonathan Kemp is passing through the Highlands on an awareness and fundraising walk from Shetland to Galway. Picture: Jonathan Kemp
On January 1, 2026, Jonathan Kemp began his walk from the Shetland Islands to begin the ten-month walk through Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, finishing in Galway in October this year.
Mr Kemp, who has already passed through Caithness and Sutherland, is scheduled to give a talk at Invergordon Museum this evening (Wednesday) at 6pm.
The 10-month walk across the UK and Ireland will raise funds for mental health charities and encourage open conversations about mental health and neurodiversity.
His memoir, Finding Peace of Mind, tells his inspirational journey through bipolar, depression, addiction and dyslexia.
He describes the journey as a living symbol of mental health — starting in the darkness of winter and moving, step by step, toward brighter days.
And already along the way, on his social media, he has shared stories of chance encounters with people who have also opened up about how mental health challenges have affected themselves on their families.
Along the way, Mr Kemp is stopping in towns and cities to give talks in workplaces, schools and to community groups, sharing his 50-plus years of lived experience of mental health, recovery, and neurodiversity.
While self-funding the walk, he is raising funds for four charities that provide vital mental-health support across the UK and Ireland.
His memoir, Finding Peace of Mind, tells his inspirational journey through bipolar, depression, addiction and dyslexia. Picture: Jonathan Kemp
He writes in his downloadable memoir: “I had a fortunate and privileged start to life, but this did not protect me from mental illnesses.
“By the age of seven, I knew things were not right. I was unsure why and did not know what to do about it. There was something wrong with my brain. It did not work correctly, and as I got older, it got worse.
“Grey mists, gloom, negativity,and interference (sometimes it was a jolting sensation) were never far away.
“By the time I was in my late teens, I would not have wished what was going on in my head on my worst enemy.
“But something drove me to fight it. So, overall, this story is one of hope: a determination to change, a willingness to experiment, and becoming open to following professional medical advice.
“I spent over twenty years trying to change my brain through willpower and self-help groups and another twenty years seeking and following medical help (though not always).”
The museum posted: “He arrives in Invergordon on Wednesday, January 21, and will give a talk at Invergordon Museum at 6pm. Entry is free, and any donations will go to his fundraising total.
“This is expected to be an inspiring talk.”
Other talks are planned along the way.
Further information can be found at linktr.ee/jonathankemplondon
