Centre Manager, Julie, completes this year's Walking Out of Darkness raising over £400
Julie completed the 10 mile walk on Saturday 6th May with friends Carol Roberts, who is a Trustee for Stratford's Springfield Mind, Donna Hopwood and Sheree Johansen. The walk started in Eastside Park next to The Think Tank in Birmingham. Guest speakers included Jonny Benjamin who was prevented from jumping into the Thames by a passer by, Neil Laybourn in January 2008 and former professional footballer, Clarke Carlisle, who admitted he threw himself in front of a lorry in an attempt to take his own life in December 2015. The walk followed the canal network, along Birmingham's real Peaky Blinder canal paths and tunnels and finished in Canon Hill Park.
Julie said ' The ‘Walking out of Darkness’ event provides an excellent opportunity for people to come together and help take a stand against mental health stigma by raising awareness of mental health problems and suicide prevention while raising money for local and national mental health and suicide prevention charities. It is an opportunity for everyone to walk together in support and unity for individuals and families suffering from mental health difficulties and those who have lost loved ones to suicide'.
The events are also supported by Business in the Community, who recent survey of mental health at work across the UK found thousands of people with poor mental health are suffering in silence, unable to share their condition or illness with colleagues or managers at work.The survey found that 77% of employees have experienced symptoms of poor mental health at some point in their lives and 62% of employees attributed their symptoms of poor mental health to work, or said that work was a contributing factor.