A Walk for A Life. A walk for a friend.
Stepladder’s digital communications officer, Julie, explains what it was like to take part in A Walk for A Life in aid of World Suicide Prevention Day and her personal reason for being there.
As Stepladder’s new digital communications officer, I attended Walk for A Life in Taunton on Saturday for World Suicide Prevention Day. This is the third year the event has been run in partnership with organisations across Somerset including Stepladder and is a walk through Taunton town centre to Vivary Park. There, the local community congregates for a moment of reflection at the ‘Hope’ bench, which was donated by Afterlife’s Ricky Gervais.
I turned up thinking that I could talk to people about why they wanted to take part. However, when I was directed to a pile of signs to write the name of a loved one you were walking for, without thinking I wrote the name of my university friend, John, who died by suicide almost a year ago.
We had been friends since the first day of Freshers’ week and went on to live in a shared house together for two years. He was incredibly funny, gentle and kind. I’d seen him fairly regularly over the years, as much as you can when you live at opposite ends of the country. It came as a huge shock when I got the call.
Apparently, he’d been living with depression for over 20 years and it was the first I’d heard of it. He hadn’t shared his struggles with any of our other friends either. So, on Saturday it felt right to walk for John. To remember him and to hope for a world free from stigma around men’s mental health.
The Stepladder project has provided funding for numerous initiatives in Somerset through its Winston Innovation Fund, facilitating the establishment and launch of activities and groups aimed at supporting men’s wellbeing and fostering connections with like-minded individuals.
Visit our interactive map full of groups and activities across Somerset to get those conversations going with the right people!
If you’re having trouble coping and need support, call Mindline Somerset’s support and mental health helpline on 0800 138 1692 or 01823 276 892. It is a confidential listening service, which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.