A former addict and mental health campaigner who shares her struggles through poems on TikTok plans to walk 8,500km to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
Kit Birks, a 29-year-old writer and mental health campaigner from Andover, will walk 8,500km from Nordkapp in Norway to Gavdos Island in Greece to raise awareness for suicide prevention.
The journey will span 10 countries and take roughly a year to complete.
Ms Birks said: "I'm doing this trek to make lots of noise around suicide prevention."
The walk is deeply personal for Ms Birks, who has experienced anorexia, bulimia, addiction, and homelessness.
She was diagnosed with ADHD and bipolar disorder during her recovery and has attempted to take her own life three times.
Ms Birks said: "I made a vow to myself that I didn't want anyone else to go through years of feeling lost and misunderstood."
She began sharing her journey through poetry on TikTok, where she now has more than 37,000 followers.
Support for her trek has come from a growing list of sponsors, including Simon Gordon, owner of Gordon’s Wine Bar in London, a family friend.
Mr Gordon said: "I've known Kit since she was little, and to see her now, turning pain into purpose in this way, fills me with pride and emotion.
"Kit is walking for all of us who’ve been touched by that grief, and I’ll be cheering her on every step of the way."
Actor and broadcaster Stephen Fry has also lent his support to the campaign.
Ms Birks will carry a 20kg backpack, including a tent and a flag bearing the names of people lost to suicide.
She said: "This isn’t just about raising money, it’s about remembrance, connection and breaking the silence about suicide."
She hopes to inspire others to keep going, even in their darkest moments.
Ms Birks said: "I want people to know that there is a life waiting for them on the other side of their darkest moments, that it gets good again, and that hope is real, and recovery is possible."
Follow her journey on Tiktok tiktok.com/@kitbirks
