Men Walking & Talking

Men Walking and Talking run mental health walks and online groups, with the aim of bringing men together in a safe space to end the stigma around men’s mental health by supporting each other.

Initially started in 2021 by Dan Reid in Telford, and having only one attendee on the first walk, it has now grown to 26 walks across 14 counties. In 2022, Men Walking and Talking became a Community Interest Corporation (CIC) and in November of 2023 we became organisational members of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).

Dan Reid founded Men Walking and Talking in mid 2021. After years of struggling with bouts of anxiety and depression he eventually engaged with mental health support and went to speak to a therapist. After a few months of working on himself he began to regain his self-esteem and self-worth. He contacted a life coach who helped him to continue to work on this.

This work gave him the confidence to open up about his own mental health struggles with other men. This is where the idea for Men Walking and Talking originated.

He started a group running once a week in the village where he lives, which has now grown to 26 walks across the country. These groups are run by our walk leaders who really do make MWAT what it is today. Our leaders give other men a safe space to open up about the struggles they may be having in their day to day lives.

We continue to look towards starting as many groups as possible across the UK and show that it is okay to have struggles and it’s okay to speak about them.

My name is Anthony Booth, and I am the MWAT leader for Cirencester. I struggled for many years with PTSD, Generalised Anxiety Disorder and Depression and always found that walking and being outdoors always had a positive effect. Following a medical discharge after 30 years in the Royal Air Force, due to my mental health I felt isolated from my usual support network.

Fortunately for me I was selected to compete at the Invictus Games in The Hague in 2022 and again in Düsseldorf in 2023. These experiences gave me the confidence to speak openly about my mental health struggles but also highlighted how many others are out their fighting their own battles and this is why I thought it a good idea to start a group in Cirencester.

Our groups are totally free and confidential. Come along and see what we’re all about. 

We meet at the War Memorial by the Parish Church on Wednesdays at 1900.

All details are on our website or drop us a message: www.menwalkingandtalking.co.uk

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