A FORMER Royal Navy submariner from Ardrossan is holding a charity challenge to raise awareness of mental health issues after his friend and former naval co-worker was diagnosed with PTSD.

Ross Lynch's challenge will take place on Saturday, August 13 in the Ardrossan Community Sports Hub  - and members of the public can donate £3 to join in.

Ross and his fellow participants are setting themselves two goals during Saturday's challenge, which runs from 8am until 5pm - the first is to see how many times they can cover the equivalent of the 120-mile length of the Suez Canal, the second to see whether they can lift the equivalent of the weight of a small warship - a total of 288 tonnes.

Donations will be split between the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and the sports hub itself.

Ross said: “Mental health issues are at an all time high in this area.

“We’re donating half of the money to the sports hub because it’s a charitable organisation and because while we want to raise awareness of mental health issues and PTSD, we also want to promote fitness and wellbeing in the community.

“We’re putting a naval spin on the event and we’re going to see if we can cycle, run, and row the length of the Suez Canal as well as trying to lift the weight of a small warship - about 288 tonnes.”

Members of the public who don’t want to participate in any athletic activities can donate an amount of their choice to the campaign to show their support.

Ross served for five years and served on board submarines and at the shore establishment HMS Scotia in Rosyth.

You can support the campaign by donating to his GoFundMe page.

Find out more about the event and how to participate on Facebook.