A 13-year-old boy is preparing to complete a year-long challenge to run and hike the entire 180-mile Tarka Trail to raise money and awareness for children’s mental health charity Place2Be.

On September 20, Arthur Belford, a Shebbear College student and rugby player for Okehampton RFC, will complete the final stretch from Barnstaple to Instow of his fundraising walk for Place2Be, which provides mental health support to children and young people as well as helping school staff to recognise when a child is struggling.

He came up with the idea because he wanted to set himself a big outdoor challenge while doing something to help other children.

He said: “I’m really lucky because I have lots of people I can talk to if something is wrong, at home and at school. But I know not every child has that.

“I think every child should have someone they can talk to when life feels difficult. That’s why I wanted to raise money for Place2Be and get more people talking about children’s mental health.”

Since setting off from Instow last September, Arthur has spent the past 12 months running and hiking his way around the Tarka Trail one at a time and fitting the challenge around school, rugby and family life.

The route has taken him through some of Devon’s most beautiful – and challenging – countryside, following rivers and woodland trails, crossing Exmoor and taking in the North Devon coastline.

Along the way he has faced winter storms, freezing temperatures, summer heat, mud, steep climbs, the occasional wrong turn – and more encounters with cows than he would have liked.

Some sections have been perfect for running; others have meant hours of tough hiking. One of the hardest days saw Arthur cover almost 20km from Lynmouth across Exmoor to Lew Combe.

Friends and family have joined him for different stages, and Arthur has been sharing the whole journey on Instagram at @arthurrunstarkatrail, documenting both the highs and the harder moments of the challenge.

Arthur said: “It feels really strange that we’re nearly finished because we’ve been doing it for a whole year.

“There have definitely been some hard bits, but there have been loads of really good days too, especially when my friends and family have joined me.”

His wider community has got behind him too. During Children’s Mental Health Week, Shebbear College held fundraising activities for Place2Be linked to Arthur’s challenge, while local businesses including Slee Blackwell Solicitors have supported individual stages.

Arthur originally set himself a fundraising target of £800. After reaching it, he increased his target to £2,500.

But for Arthur, the challenge has always been about more than the amount raised, and he hopes his final run will encourage more donations for Place2Be and keep people talking about children’s mental health and the importance of making sure young people can access support.

Arthur’s journey can be followed on Instagram at @arthurrunstarkatrail, with donations through his JustGiving page for Place2Be: https://www.justgiving.com/page/arthur-tarka-trail-run