A man has used a dark time in his life to create something bright, completing a charity walk for the people he credits with saving his life.

Derek Weeks, 37, an army veteran from Kingsbridge, has completed a 177 mile walk along Offa’s Dyke Path, from Prestatyn to Sedbury Cliffs in order to raise money for the Coombe Haven Ward at The Cedars in Exeter.

Derek began his walk on Saturday, July 28, and it took 12 days to complete, with one rest day. The longest section was 23 miles, which included a massive climb to Jubilee Tower.

Derek said his best day was “day nine, which was a big climb up the Black Mountains and then a walk across them and finally climbing down and finishing in the Skirrid Inn, Wales’ oldest and haunted pub for a nice, hot meal”.

When asked what made him decide to complete this challenge, Derek said: “Over the last two years since a close friend passed away, life just seemed to be getting worse for me and I took two overdoses and ended up in hospital.

“On June 17, I decided to try end my life on the cliffs of Thurlestone and was found by the police. I was then detained and taken to Torquay and then transferred to the Cedars, Exeter, the mental health hospital.

“I was for almost a month, under lock and key and closely supervised, but while there I managed to take two more overdoses, without success.

“But the staff helped me more and more to recover, and after being discharged I decided I needed to get away to clear my head and to raise money for the NHS mental health team, which is when I decided on walking Offa’s Dyke.

“All during the walk I had some great support from some great friends, who were always checking in and asking how I was getting on, which meant a lot to me and made the walk even more worthwhile.

“I still have a long way to go before my head is back to its normal self, but it is in a better place than it was due to the friends I have, the staff at Coombe Haven, The Cedars, and because of the time I had away walking, giving me time to think about life. I owe a lot to these people.

“If it wasn’t for Coombe Haven Ward, I can honestly say I don’t think I would be alive today. I didn’t see anything getting better and the only way to make the bad things stop was to end my life.

“I can honestly say that the staff there are the best team of people I have ever been involved with and they do an amazing job dealing with everything they have to deal with daily, they are true heroes.”

You can sponsor Derek, who is aiming to raise £1,000 for Devon Partnership NHS Trust, who run Coombe Haven, on his JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/derek-weeks