Timmy Sussex Ovard is fast becoming a Sussex hero. Hang out on Facebook for any length of time and post about Sussex and he’ll be sure to give you a supportive like, share and cheer. He has an unwavering belief and connection with Sussex that is contagious whether it’s Sussex beer, cricket, football, wine, artists, artisans or countryside. And in April, he’s going to walk 64 miles across the Sussex countryside via the Serpent Trail in one go to raise money for Mind.
The making of a Sussex hero
Timmy was born in Cuckfield, and lived in Burgess Hill and Brighton. He’s very open about the fact that he’s autistic and things haven’t always been easy, so much so that in 2002 he suffered a breakdown. In his own words, he ran away and moved up to Lancashire for 9 years during what was a pretty dark time. Returning to Sussex years later, he says it just clicked, this deep and profound connection with the county where he was born. These days, his passion and enthusiasm are without any agenda, as he lends his support to all things Sussex.
During lockdown, Timmy went on his first ever hike to raise money for charity. Again, he says something just clicked and these days, hiking is one of his Sussex passions. You’ll often see his posts on Facebook in which he shares photos of his many epic hikes across the county. He walks for his mental health and in doing so he lifts others. There is an honesty and a joy in his walking posts that is hard to ignore but when he’s not up on the South Downs, you’ll often find him cheering his team on at the Amex.
Walking for Mind
Then in the autumn of 2023, Timmy received the devastating news that a friend had taken his own life. Graham was just 56. “I’m walking for Graham.” Timmy explained when I asked him why he’s walking 64 miles in one day. And it all made sense.
If you’ve not come across them before, Mind are a national mental health charity who do really valuable work and say this about themselves,
“Even though 1 in 4 people have mental health problems, most of us don’t get the help we need. This has to change. We’re Mind. We’re here to fight for mental health. For support, for respect, for you.”
Stepping up
Timmy’s been putting in the training, with some interesting night walks which even he says left him a little nervous when he found himself in a field in the dark with unidentified large animals that he couldn’t see. And last week, he walked from Bramber Castle to Lewes Castle. I can’t help but be envious.
You rarely come across someone who is so genuinely connected with where they live and so happy to share all that is great about Sussex. We’ve never actually met but what is clear is that Timmy is kind and he’s caring, and in his very unique way, he is raising the profile of Sussex as a special place to live but even more importantly he’s raising money for and raising the profile of Mind.
