Paul Shuttleworth,in Telfordand
Tanya Gupta,West Midlands
Men Walking & Talking
More groups have been set up in 2025 and many kept going throughout the Christmas holidays
Walking groups across the country that were set up to create safe spaces for men to talk about their mental health have doubled in size in a year, one of the organisers has said.
Men Walking & Talking (MWAT) was created by Dan Reid in Telford in 2021 and now has over 50 branches across the UK.
It has seen a tremendous “burst in growth” in the past year with more than 20,000 men attending a group for a walk, a chat and to be “shoulder to shoulder” with others.
Mr Reid said in 2026 the mission remained clear: “no man has to walk his hardest miles alone.”
He said organisers were committed to bringing the “brotherhood” to more communities and reaching men where support was needed most.
Mark Taylor, one of five directors, said the increase in numbers over the past year was an incredible “burst of growth”.
A total of 20,571 men attended a walk in 2025 – more than double the 7,886 figure in 2024.
There were 15 new groups in 2024 and a further 21 in 2025, Mr Taylor said. Seven new walks will start in January and February this year.
All walks are run by leaders with a time and start location for each group, and people can just turn up.
Danny Bailey who grew up in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, and now lives in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, is involved in groups in both towns.
He said he joined a group after the Covid pandemic, when he was working on his own and dealing with divorce, adding: “There’s so many people in a situation where they’re not talking to anyone and they’re just in their own head all the time.”
‘Shoulder to shoulder’
Mr Taylor, who runs a group in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, said there was no pressure for people to talk, but added: “If you want to talk about what’s rattling around in your head, then you’re more than welcome.”
He said it was different to talking in a pub or coffee shop across a table, adding: “Walking shoulder to shoulder with someone, with no eye contact, the conversation just flows.”
Across the West Midlands, there are several walks in Birmingham, plus meetups in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, and Walsall in the Black Country.
There are also walks in Cheshire, in Nantwich, Crewe and Sandbach.
Further south, there are groups in Hereford, Malvern and Worcester, and in Warwickshire, groups include Coventry, Warwick and Nuneaton.
A full list of locations is on the group’s website and information is also on Facebook.