The founder of a men’s walking group which has grown in five years to have 85 branches from Peterhead to Penzance will celebrate its birthday with a celebratory walk.
Dan Reid from Telford set up Men Walking and Talking in 2021 after being in “not a very good place mentally”.
He said the aim of the groups was to give men a space where they “could talk about whatever they wanted”.
The 5th anniversary will be celebrated with a walk around the Carding Mill Valley in Shropshire on 17 May and he has invited people from all over the country to take part.
Reid said he had been overwhelmed and suffering with anxiety and breakdowns at work before starting Men Walking and Talking.
He was persuaded by his wife to get therapy and soon found he was not the only man to be suffering mentally.
He said he found “a lot of guys I’ve spoken to feel like they’re a burden when they’re speaking about their problems with their families”.
Men Walking and Talking started with a group which met for a walk once a week in his village, but has grown rapidly since then.
The idea is a simple one – men meet for a walk, led by a walk leader and are then given a safe space to open up about their struggles.
“It kind of gives men a space where they feel heard,” Reid said.
He also said the organisation had given him a feeling of purpose.
The anniversary walk will involve five laps around the Shropshire route, one for every one of their five years.
Reid said he wanted “as many people there as possible” to share in the celebrations.
“For years I kind of sat in my own thoughts and kind of ruminated and suppressed things and tried to carry on and on,” he said.
“But if you get support around you, community, connection and all those things it really does help.”
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