A Bermudian sailor has taken on a 2,200-mile charity challenge around the UK coastline to support children’s mental health.

Jonathan Brewin is leading a 36-strong team aboard his J160 yacht Big Bear as they circumnavigate England, part of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

He came up with the Big Bear Voyage 2026 to mark his 70th birthday after being inspired by a charity event completed by a popular British radio presenter.

Mr Brewin decided to visit 35 ports and host 35 community events, equalling his age, while he also picked a fundraising goal of £70,000 (about $93,000) for UK charity BBC Children in Need.

Just a month after leaving Hamble, near Southampton on May 14, more than $35,000 has been raised.

Big Bear Voyage has also appeared on British television and featured extensively in news reports across the country.

Speaking from Belfast, Mr Brewin told The Royal Gazette: “This year I turn 70. Rather than marking the occasion quietly, my wife Jackie and I decided to do something more purposeful by raising £70,000 for the charity that achieves so much for youngsters facing challenges.

“The rationale behind the challenge came from me watching Children in Need last year. Radio 2 DJ Sara Cox — she did five marathons in five days.

“I found that really inspiring and thought I needed to do something to celebrate my 70th.”

Mr Brewin lived and worked in Bermuda between 1994 and 2021 before retiring to the UK.

His last job on the island was as a general manager at Sol Petroleum in St George’s.

He is a past commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, also held positions as chairman of the Newport Bermuda Race, deputy chairman of Age Concern and chairman of the Bermuda Hospitals Board.

Yesterday, the Big Bear Voyage team — and Children in Need mascot Pudsey Bear — were expected to sail up Northern Ireland’s coastline to Glenarm before crossing to Campbelltown, Scotland. The challenge is scheduled to finish in August.

Mr Brewin, who is completing the voyage with many of his greatest friends, spoke about how one in five children in the UK lives with a mental health challenge.

Children in Need provides early intervention — offering counselling, safe spaces and trusted adult relationships.

Mr Brewin added: “I really think Children in Need is an extraordinary charity and it’s very well run. They have opened my eyes to what children are facing with their mental health.

“Supporting the mental health of children is at the heart of this voyage. Through BBC Children in Need, we know that real, practical help is reaching young people across the UK.

“If this journey can raise awareness as well as funds, and encourage conversations about mental wellbeing, it will have achieved something truly worthwhile.”

This is the second significant fundraising event Mr Brewin has undertaken.

In 2019, he raised more than $13,000 for Age Concern by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with his son Somers Brewin.

The fundraising page can be accessed through JustGiving by searching for Big Bear Sailing with Pudsey around the UK.