A serving soldier who has battled with mental health issues is taking on a 152-mile run to raise money and awareness.

Oliver Aspinall lives in Gillingham with his wife and daughter and serves as a paratrooper in Brompton.

He will be running the London Outer Orbital Path (LOOP) tomorrow to in aid of Combat Stress, a mental health charity for forces veterans.

The 32-year-old said: “I have been under the care of mental health services for three years now and the support I have had has been fantastic.

“It’s been amazing and I want to really show other people that however ill you have been there is light at the end of the tunnel and with the right help and support you can achieve any goal you set yourself.

“I’ve done three tours in Afghanistan which didn’t cause my issues but it certainly contributed.

“I was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder in 2014 and had major issues with anxiety and depression.

"But from what I have learned along the way, I’ve been showing signs for nearly 20 years.”

Oliver, who is originally from Sheffield, hopes by sharing his story he will help other soldiers suffering in silence to speak up.

He said: “If I’m seen speaking about this sort of stuff it will pass on to others and will change that stigma attached to talking about mental illnesses.

"We should talk about it in the same way we do any other illness.”

Oliver will be running the LOOP on his own but with support from teams along the way.

Model and marathon runner, Nell McAndrew, will join him for some of the route.

Nell, who is an advocate of the mental health benefits of running, has been supporting Oliver on Twitter through his training.

• Click here to donate to Oliver's