CELEBRATING a 50th birthday for some might look like a boozy night out or eating too much cake.
But for Rob Mason, preparations for hitting the big 50 will include experiencing extreme physical endurance in readiness for a fundraising trek to Everest base camp.
This September, he and four friends will climb 9,000 feet to the base of the infamous mountain in memory of his daughter Kezia, who took her own life in 2022, aged 14.
He hopes his 12-day trek across Nepal will raise £5,000 for Kezia’s Fund, set up in the teenager’s memory, which distributes funding to projects that support the mental health of young people in Jersey.
Since it was launched by Kezia’s brother Ben in the weeks following her death, Kezia’s Fund has distributed over £200,000 in grants to 18 different projects.
In 2022, Ben – then 16 – won the Mental Health Champion and Volunteer/Fundraiser categories at the JEP Pride of Jersey Awards, and he went on to win the inaugural Gary Burgess Award for inspirational community leadership.
After losing his daughter, Mr Mason has also campaigned for suicide prevention to be implemented in the school curriculum and has sponsored suicide awareness training for local businesses.
He was also shortlisted for an ITV Channel Pride of Britain award in 2023.
Mr Mason said he wanted his next challenge to “keep the conversation going” about the importance of mental health in young people, and that more needed to be done to tackle what he described as an “epidemic”.
He added: “Kezia’s Fund was set up with an amazing response from the community of Jersey. We’ve been through two rounds of grants awards so far, but in each of those grants rounds, there have been some projects that we’ve had to regretfully say no to. There is a massive need out there for people who want to help the young people in the current almost epidemic of mental health.
“Ultimately, what’s in the back of my mind is, as well as raising the funds for these projects, we want to keep the conversation going.”
Having completed the Inca Trail in Peru in September 2023, which was in aid of Dementia Jersey, Mr Mason is used to physical challenges. However, he said he still felt “very daunted” as the days edged closer to leaving for Nepal.
He said: “I’m 50 in October, and I’m unfit and overweight, so you know, it’s not, not in my normal repertoire to be doing physical challenges at all. I’m also very excited because it’s a proper adventure, and I need to be doing things like that. Just remind myself I’m still alive and do these things.”
As well as overcoming the physical and mental obstacles of the trek, which will see him walking for six to 11 hours a day, Mr Mason and his friends will also have to deal with altitude sickness and extreme cold.
But he says he will take it “one step at a time”, with the memory of his daughter and raising awareness of youth mental-health support pushing him forward.
“There is a generation of mental-health challenges and issues that we as the older generation aren’t really geared up to solve, so we need to be looking at all options of how we help and learn and educate ourselves and our young people as well,” he said.
“We want to normalise the conversation around mental health and help-seeking behaviour as a natural thing in the way that you would go and seek help for your physical health. That ultimately, you don’t struggle alone and in silence, and therefore don’t make tragic, irreversible decisions.”
Before his mammoth challenge, Mr Mason will be seen frequenting the rugged terrain of Jersey’s north coast with his two dogs. He added that the support he had received since announcing the trek had been “amazing”.
Mr Mason hopes to raise £5,000 for Kezia’s Fund with his efforts. To donate, visit his Sports Giving page here: sportsgiving.co.uk/sponsor/activity/everest-base-camp-trek-in-aid-of-kezia-s-fund/rob-mason.
