"A huge lifeline": The men's walk-and-talk group making strides in mental health

Come rain or shine, the rule is the men’s walk-and-talk group goes ahead as long as two attendees turn up at the meeting point. The idea is simple: meet, walk, and talk – about anything that’s bothering you, or even just the latest football scores.

The Proper Blokes Club started in September 2020 with the aim to connect new fathers struggling with mental health issues and addiction. Two years later, with an outreach in six London boroughs and seven walking groups operating each week, the scheme has already reached hundreds of isolated men.

“We started off the back of my own issues,” says Scott Oughton-Johnson, the group’s founder, whose mental health problems left him with restricted access to his children. “It’s taken on a whole different path now. It’s still the same objective - getting men talking - but it’s not just dads now, it’s everybody.”

It’s worth noting that the conversation isn’t always as heavy as the issues going on underneath the surface.

“Ninety per cent of the conversations we have are about everyday life, it’s a lot of banter, a lot of laughs,” reflected Oughton-Johnson, adding: “but we’ve also created that environment where if you need to talk then you know you’re in that environment as well.”

As the nights draw in and we approach Christmas, Oughton-Johnson expresses concerns about the dip in men’s mental health. According to a 2019 YouGov poll, a quarter of the population finds Christmas the most challenging time of the year with 38 per cent of unemployed people reporting feeling low.

“If people don’t have family or friends to bounce off of, it’s going to be difficult,” Oughton-Johnson says. “At Christmas that’s highlighted even more because if you’re taken away from your friends at work and that’s all you’ve got, it’s a big problem,”

For many of the affectionately named ‘lads’ of the group, Oughton-Johnson is providing them with a safe space without judgement.

“We can talk about things we might not have ever spoken about to our best friends we’ve had for years,” Paul Simmons shares. The 54 year-old has attended the group for six months now. “This group is a huge lifeline,” he adds.

With many attendees listing loneliness as an issue, Oughton-Johnson plans to run the walks right up to Christmas Day, keeping the ‘lads’ connected over the sociable holiday period.

“We also do a New Years Eve walk which has become a bit of a tradition now,” says Oughton-Johnson. “It’s a very social time, New Year’s Eve. Everyone’s got that ‘new year, new me’ vibe so if you go into the New Year as lonely as you were the day before, it’s very difficult to feel like you’re starting the year off right.”

The group’s aim for the future is to reach even more men and normalise an open conversation on mental health, particularly in the face of cost of living pressures.

“Coming up to Christmas, if you’re paying an extra £300-400 on your energy bills, it’s gonna be a struggle for a lot of people.” Oughton-Johnson explains. “We can’t force anyone to come – but we can be there for them if they want us.”