A 22-YEAR-OLD who overcame depression will be raising cash for a mental health charity by playing 12 hours straight of tennis.

Dean Cross, of Merton Place, in Grays, will be taking on the ambitious challenge in a bid to thank Thurrock Mind for the support he needed to “get back on track”.

As a result, Mr Cross has called on support from Thurrock Lawn Tennis Club who will be staging his fundraiser on Sunday, June 18 from 9am until 9pm.

He said: “It was early last year I had a few incidents which led me to going into hospital and I had some fantastic help from Thurrock Minds and the NHS which gave me the support I need.

“They helped me to see that there was light at the end of the tunnel and I just want to give something back. I’m doing this to raise money for Thurrock Mind.

“It will be a great day and have lots of people who will partake in hour slots to play with me to also raise money.”

Mr Cross, who has played tennis for the last six years, says he is expecting it to be a big physical test, but is relishing getting on the court.

He said: “If I am going to be there for 12 hours, then I was thinking I had to pick something I am quite good at.

“I have seen a few tennis clubs do something like this where they play each other, so that is where the idea came from.

“I have been watching a fair bit of Roland Garros. “

For more information, visit thurrockltc.co.uk.

Thurrock Mind is an independent organisation, affiliated to National Mind, and was founded in 1980 by a group of people interested in developing services in the community to support those with mental health problems.

Services it provides include counselling and Stepping Stones - a business growing and selling plants which is designed to help people overcoming mental health back into work.

Its Wellbeing Centre, in Bridge Road, Grays, supports adults in Thurrock who have been diagnosed with mental health difficulties, and provides them a safe and supportive.

Projects run include a cooking group, art group, photography and walking group, bird watching, games console night, regular evening social events and a literacy group.

Approximately one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year.

In England, one in six people report experiencing a common mental health problem, such as anxiety and depression, in any given week.

Guidance on the NHS website says that there’s no single cause of depression. It can occur for a variety of reasons and it has many different triggers.

It reads: “For some people, an upsetting or stressful life event, such as bereavement, divorce, illness, redundancy and job or money worries, can be the cause.

“Different causes can often combine to trigger depression.”