AFTER trekking from one end of the country to another with only a tent and £100 to his name, Steve Carr returned home to Swindon to a hero’s welcome.

The intrepid explorer set off from Land’s End in the far-flung reaches of West Cornwall earlier this year and spent three months walking cross-country to John O’Groats.

On Friday evening he walked his final miles to take a selfie underneath the landmark sign that marks the most north-easterly point of the British Isles.

Steve began his journey to raise awareness of mental health issues and homelessness, but has returned home after his trek to find that his adventures are now only really beginning as he sets about driving his enthusiasm into a new project.

The 40-year-old – who marked his milestone birthday enroute - set himself the epic challenge after battling mental health problems, drug addiction and homelessness in the wake of the death of his older brother Paul in 1991. Paul was one of five young people to lose their lives when a car careered off Akers Way. At the age of 15, Steve had to deal with the loss of his brother and the effect of the trauma on his whole family.

But now 24 years later he is in recovery, and the strength and determination that has brought him this far is now driving him to try and help others.

On Monday afternoon he was treated to a hero’s welcome at the Sun Inn at Coate Water after he arrived back in Swindon from a blustery north Scotland.

“I was absolutely astounded to see that many people come out to support what I have just done,” said Steve after he had been welcomed back with open arms from friends, family and well-wishers. “It was really overwhelming – it was so nice to see so much support from good friends and people who have been following the group online. It was really quite emotional, and I am holding back tears.”

Now he is back in Swindon he will be launching his new venture Mindcanyon – taken from the name of his end-to-end challenge – in a bid to cut social isolation and tackle homelessness in Swindon. Steve intends for Mindcanyon to be a one stop online portal for everything to do with homelessness and mental health, connecting people with the necessary organisations all over the country.

“Everything I do now will be about helping those in the community and helping the get the support they need,” he added.