A pilot will be attempting to fly around the UK and Channel Islands in one go, stopping briefly in the Isle of Man.

Lyle Weir, a pilot from Gloucester, will start his journey on September 1 in a single engine aircraft with nothing but a backpack and camera to document it.

It will take 40 hours in total and he will be making 20 landings during the flight – the island being one of them on day five.

Mr Weir is taking on the challenge to raise awareness of mental health issues.

He will be raising money for UK mental health charity The Mix, which educates people on the matter.

Mr Weir said: ‘The aim is raising as much money as possible through donations and sponsors.

‘Mental health has affected everyone at some stage in their lives, yet I believe it is still a very misunderstood, underestimated and a dangerous killer that is hardly spoken about.

‘I am planning to take a single engine aircraft, Piper Arrow, all around the outskirts of the UK and to the Channel Islands, landing at multiple stops from the furthest points south, all the way to the high north, spreading awareness and covering the many illnesses and disorders that are classified and recognised under mental health during my time at these different places.’

Mr Weir says he had had problems with his own mental health previously.

‘I have suffered my own personal battles with mental health due to the loss of close family, which led me to a very low and dark time of my life that I kept quiet and to myself for a long time,’ he said.

‘Along with my own battles, some people in my life that mean the most to me have suffered badly with mental health, leaving me to feel helpless and unsure of what to do or say.

‘Worst of all, I have lost close friends who have had to battle with mental health and sadly chose to take their own life due to it.

‘The time is now that we come together and start doing something about it.

‘This charity flight won’t cure everyone and make the illness disappear but if it gets people talking, opening up and realising they are not on their own then that to me is success.’

You can donate to Mr Weir’s fundraiser on GoFundMe under ‘Weir Airborne’ and follow his journey at @weir_airborne on social media.