An adventurer sailed into a Bolton school to raise awareness of the importance of children's mental health wellbeing.

Bernie Hollywood OBE is currently touring the country with the Boat of Hope, which he is going to row across the Atlantic Ocean in December.

The odyssey will take him 90 days, starting from Tenerife and finishing in the Caribbean, in Antigua.

Walmsley CE Primary School in Egerton was one of the stops on this tour, with Bernie stopping off at 50 schools nationwide.

Bernie, who is an entrepreneur and adventurer, has raised over £42 million for charity over the years and has built three schools in Africa, amongst numerous other achievements.

He highlighted the importance of teaching children about mental health.

Speaking to The Bolton News, he said: “We’re doing a national school tour of 50 primary and high schools, called the Boat of Hope national school tour.

“We’re trying to open up a conversation about children’s mental health and wellbeing.”

He added: “A large majority of mental health issues happen to children before the age of 14.”

Bernie spoke about the boat and how it helps address mental health, saying:

“We’re aiming to show it through creative arts and adventure, using digital artwork, books and pictures.

“The boat is a 42-foot painting which tells the story of a young person going through depression then coming out with hope.”

He continued: “All of the work was researched at 6500 high schools. We asked them what did hope mean to them, and the children came back with lots of stuff.

Bernie’s odyssey has been turned into a children’s book called Bernie and Boatie, written by Natalie Reeves Billing and illustrated by Lisa Williams.

Year Six teacher and mental health and wellbeing lead Kathy Browning also spoke on the importance of children’s mental health.

She said: “Children’s mental health, could there be a greater cause? It’s wonderful for the children to learn about looking after their mental health through story.

“The book ‘Bernie and Boatie’ coupled with a real life meet with Bernie, the great adventurer himself, and an explore of the actual boat he will set sail in provides a rich, memorable experience for the children.”

She added: “We feel privileged to be part of this amazing quest and look forward to following Bernie on his travels.”

Some of the children gave their thoughts on the boat and mental health.

Frankie Bradshaw, aged eight, said: “I thought it was a magnificent riot of colour. The boat brought back a lot of memories for Bertie because it had a lot of pictures on it.”

Tilley Massey, aged 10, said: “I really enjoyed the Boat of Hope presentation this morning. It really made me think about what I could do for my mental health and the mental health of people around me.

“It also made me think about ways I could help people that may not be as lucky as we are.”

Isaac Russell, aged 11, said: “Life is a boat on waves, it goes up and down.”