AS someone who admits his mental health has decreased during lockdown, a rugby player set himself a tough physical challenge.

And Larry Mew (23), a lifelong player at Ponteland, has raised more than £1,000 for mental health charity Mind and the NHS Charities Together in the process.

Larry set himself of running one kilometre on the hour for 24 hours, starting at midnight, to raise awareness of mental health issues, particularly during lockdown.

He said he has always had to work on his fitness and mental health, and decided to do something to push himself physically and mentally while everybody was locked down.

“I felt quite good doing it,” Larry said.

“It was tough, but I managed to keep going.”

Larry ran each kilometre in around seven minutes.

He has smashed through his fund-raising target of £200, raising £1,025 so far for NHS Charities Together and Mind.

“I was thinking it would just be a small thing, but the support is quite overwhelming,” he said.

Larry hopes by completing the challenge he has helped tackle the stigma of mental health.

He said he has friends who work for the NHS and wanted to also raise money for them because of the pressure they are under at the moment.

Larry has played rugby since he was eight years old and has also played at Tynedale.

He works as a sports coach at Dallaglio RugbyWorks.

To donate, visit https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LarryMew1.