Runner battles back from brink to go the extra mile

A BUSINESSMAN whose world was turned upside down when he lost his job and home is planning to run the length of Britain.

Father-of-two Robert Primrose has planned a Forrest Gump-style charity run from John o'Groats to Land's End and is hoping other runners will join him on the 874-mile challenge in aid of Shelter.

Up until July last year Mr Primrose, 47, had a comfortable lifestyle, helping to run a company in Musselburgh which carried out bespoke joinery work and living in a large house in West Lothian.

However, his world came crashing down when the recession started to bite and the firm, which he didn't want to name, went bust.

As a result, he struggled to pay the 1100-a-month rent for his five-bedroom home in Bathgate and sunk into the depths of depression.

A failed suicide bid in July saw Mr Primrose, who suffered a mental breakdown, being rescued from the River Almond.

"Becoming director was the worst move I have ever made," he said. "A lot of the reason for the business going bust was to do with my bad decisions, but I will have to just live with that.

"My life caved in after that. There was a four-week period when I hadn't a clue where I was."

Mr Primrose, who is separated from the mother of his children, has been living in homeless hostel Quentin Court in Livingston since July 18.

"Without the hostel, I wouldn't be here today," he said.

"I started getting my confidence back when I started running again and came up with the idea of raising public awareness for homeless people."

Mr Primrose, who runs 80 miles every week, plans to raise funds for Shelter and West Lothian Council's homeless service through the charity run, which begins on April 30.

Mr Primrose, who is applying to study for an HNC in sports science at West Lothian College in the hope of becoming a personal trainer, said: "What's happened has changed my life. I have empathy for people who are on the street now. I didn't have that before because I was too caught up in me."