By Imogen Howse
Meet the man attempting to skateboard 1,500 miles from Britain to Morocco.
Sam Allison, 21, is skateboarding from his home in Brighton to Tangier to raise money for mental health charity the Ben Raemers Foundation.
He decided to take on the challenge after struggling with his own mental health issues, which he says skateboarding "saved" him from.
Allison, who saved up funds from his job at UberEats to tackle the trip, estimates it will take him between 50 and 60 days, meaning he has to travel around 30 miles each day.
While enroute, he also has to carry a "huge" backpack - filled with a tent, sleeping bag, all of his clothes, and even a massage gun.
(Sam Allison via SWNS)
Allison is currently in Chartres, a French town just outside Paris, and is heading to Bordeaux - where he's due to meet up with some friends.
From there, he'll skate down through Spain and towards Gibraltar, before crossing the Strait of Gibraltar via ferry to get to Morocco.
Allison said: "I once saw someone do a skate across the US and I was inspired to do something similar.
"Then, around a year ago, I struggled with some mental health issues and so I decided I wanted to raise money and awareness for a charity that helps people.
"I know it's becoming more talked about but until I experienced it myself I didn't realise how bad it can be - and how much it can affect your life.
"I was struggling with depression, anxiety, and negative thought patterns. I was scared of life. I was scared of the future. It took such a toll on my life.
"But skateboarding is genuinely what saved me during that experience.
(Sam Allison via SWNS)
"When you're skating, you're so focused on what you're doing - and trying not to fall off - that you can't think about anything else.
"It takes away any other problems and worries.
"You get this dopamine hit every time you land a trick, and it's fun to be out with your friends.
"It's a real community. So it really did save me."
Allison, whose skateboard has a Santa Cruz Winkowski Deck, added: "It's been incredible so far.
"Being on the road and being out in nature has been incredibly peaceful. It's like meditation.
"I just feel that in the modern day, our minds are so fast-paced because of social media. We're always on the go.
(Sam Allison via SWNS)
"But out here my mind has completely slowed down. I feel so at ease."
He continued: "I'm mostly camping so I've got a huge backpack with me.
"But sometimes I'm staying elsewhere.
"I have a friend with me at the moment and we're trying to get 50 miles today as a woman has offered to let us stay with her.
"She even said she'll cook us pasta."
Allison is raising money for the Ben Raemers Foundation, which was set up in memory of professional skateboarder Ben Raemers who tragically died by suicide in May 2019 at the age of 28.
