Walk and talk: How a men’s mental health group is changing lives across Durham

Warning: The following article contains mentions of suicide.

We’ve all heard of the phrase “man up”– you might have even had it said to you before. Traditionally, it has been used to connote cowardice or weakness, associating masculinity with courage and strength. However, it has also been widely recognised as an outdated, stereotyped and stigmatised term – which can be extremely damaging, if not dangerous to men’s well-being. One organisation working to dismantle the stigmas surrounding masculinity, giving a new meaning to the phrase, is men’s mental health group Man Up Durham. 

“Man Up Durham has been a game changer […] no one is left to struggle alone. Everyone rallies around, offering support. It’s been incredible for my mental health and daily life”, said John Greenhalgh.

Eleven years ago, John Greenhalgh moved to Durham from Salford, Greater Manchester. Relocating to a new place, John didn’t know many people, often feeling like he didn’t fit in – partly due to anxiety.

He spent years isolated, until, one day, he saw a Facebook post advertising the first walk hosted by Man Up. Despite being nervous, he decided to give it a go and met with three other men, including 33-year-old secondary school teacher and Man Up founder, Paul McGeary, at The Rose Tree, Shincliffe.

As Paul had brought two of his friends for moral support, John was the very first stranger to join Man Up. Having previously also been a walk leader, now, he has completed over 50 walks with the group, gaining new-found confidence and friendships along the way.

After noticing a gap in men’s wellness groups in Durham City, Paul launched Man Up Durham in February 2024, with the focus being on walking and talking. 90 walks later and what started off as four men has quickly turned into an ever-growing community that has welcomed over 170 active walkers. With the group continuing to make strides (literally), I spoke to their events coordinator, Phil Clark. 

“Witnessing how it’s changed people’s lives for the better– that’s been the best thing for me”, said Phil.

Since the group first started, Man Up Durham has gone from strength to strength, now offering a variety of different events/activities, including two very popular ‘Twilight Walks’ a month, along with weekly quiz nights, boxing sessions and more.

But, their main activity remains simple; weekly ‘walk & talks’.

Starting from various locations across County Durham, once a week, Man Up host a ‘Men’s Wellness Walk’. In fact, it was one of these first walks that helped connect Phil to the organisation.

Going back to the beginning, when the group were starting out, they were looking for a sponsor, along with somewhere to commence their weekly walks.

Working at The Neighbourhood Coffee House in Hotel Indigo, Durham, Phil originally contacted them about the sponsorship, interested in the business prospects.

However, this relationship proceeded to grow as The Neighbourhood acted as the starting point for one of Man Up’s first ‘walk and talks’, with the café even providing a separate room for a pre-walk coffee club.

Eventually, The Neighbourhood became official sponsors of Man Up Durham and Phil become an official member of the men’s group.

As a result of a raffle hosted by The Neighbourhood in May 2024, which raised £1030, the group were able to buy uniforms, which Phil now proudly wears as a dedicated member of the Man Up leadership team.

He said: “nothing feels as good as walking with a group, when everyone’s got the Man Up hat on- it feels like you’re part of something”. 

Since the start, the group have gone on to complete a variety of walks across the region, often fundraising for different causes. With the walks varying in length, they aim to promote inclusivity by catering to a range of different abilities and preferences. 

Although he wasn’t able to participate himself, Phil recalled one of their longest walks, which was just over 15 miles to raise awareness for Samaritans’ Brew Monday. 

Moreover, during January 2025, Phil, along with 3 other men, participated in a walking challenge to fundraise for Man Up, covering 50 miles each. Although the target was originally £200, the group raised £660.

Now, 13 men, including Phil, are well underway with their ‘STEPtember’ walking challenge.

Throughout September, each man will be walking or running 100 miles to raise money for both Man Up Durham and the suicide prevention charity, If U Care Share Foundation. The proceeds will be split between the two organisations. 

Just three days into September and the lads have already raised a phenomenal £910, far surpassing their £500 target.

United by their shared goals to prevent suicide and offer support to those who are struggling, Man Up has many connections with If U Care Share and hopes to continue to develop this relationship.

This is partly facilitated by Man Up’s collaboration with Hotel Indigo (via The Neighbourhood), who have supported and partnered with If U Care Share for many years.  

Bringing all of these connections together, in October 2024, Phil led the first ‘Men’s Wellness Evening’ at the hotel, which was co-hosted by Man Up. As well as hosting representatives from Samaritans, the group welcomed representatives from If U Care Share, along with other men’s wellness groups in the region, including ANDYSMANCLUB and ManHealth. 

The event featured 5-minute speeches from a member of the different groups, as well as an information talk from mental health professional, Anna Timmons.   

Due to the success of this night, the second ‘Men’s Wellness Evening’ took place in May 2025, this time also featuring a short talk from Durham Police, who share Man Up’s monthly schedules on their social media. 

Both inside and outside of the organisation, Man Up prioritise forming connections, building relationships and ultimately, creating a network of support for men in Durham. By giving men access to more options, this helps them to achieve their mission- to prevent male suicide and help those who are struggling with their mental health. 

Phil commented: “there’s a lot of options in Durham now, but people don’t realise that”. 

As demonstrated by their ‘Wellness Evenings’, another way that Man Up does this is by working closely with other men’s groups in County Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle.  

For instance, they are close partners with Iceguys, a Sunderland-based men’s wellness group who are focused on promoting physical and mental wellbeing and creating friendships through cold water swimming. However, on the last Friday of each month, they also host a walking football session, which some of the Man Up men attend. The two groups have even played against each other at The Beacon of Light, Sunderland, using money from fundraising to cover the cost. 

On Sunday afternoons, some members of Man Up also join fellow County Durham-based men’s mental health group, Man Club, for a game of walking football at Meadowfield Leisure Centre. Currently, the group are exploring the possibility of making this a regular session. 

Phil said: “it’s important to have relationships with other groups because it opens doors […] our guys can go and join them for a bit, they can come to us- so it’s all benefits. There’s no negatives at all, there’s not a competition between groups- we’re all helping each other because that’s the whole purpose really”.

Alongside their relationships with other mental health organisations, Man Up have formed strong partnerships within the County Durham community, establishing a strong presence- both on and off social media. 

For example, the group have formed strong connections with sister pubs, Fram Ferment and The Station House, which are often used as starting points for walks. 

They have formed a particularly close bond with Kitt’s Pool Room & Bar in Durham City, where they host their monthly pool nights. Not only does Kitt’s provide the group with discounted food and drink, but they also give them 50% off pool tables, as well as free advertising on their social media. 

Since their first pool night in January 2025, the event, which is led by Phil’s friend, Dan, has been a glowing success, turning out to be the most popular activity, besides the walks. Phil noted that the format of getting to play everyone individually allows the men to get to know each other better, quickly integrating any new members.  

“It was a great opportunity for some friendly competition amongst members and a chance to socialise on a weekday evening and obviously, for those who can’t make the walks, or don’t like walking or are unable to walk, to get out and get involved as well”, he said.

With Macmillan Coffee Morning coming up next month, in September, Man Up will be hosting a special pool night at Kitt’s to fundraise for the cause. The event will cost £5, half of which will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support. As part of this, Kitt’s have also put together a Raffle Hamper, with tickets priced at £1 each.

Another event that has continued to grow since January is the Man Up quiz nights, which are now a weekly staple. Every Tuesday, a smaller group of men meet for a quiz at The Bridge Hotel, Durham. Like with the pool nights, this opens up more options, allowing more men to access support. 

Phil said: “there’s so many different options there now. I don’t want anyone to feel they can’t join us because they can’t walk far”.

Other activities include a weekly boxing session led by ex-boxer and Man Up member, Rob and a padel night, which is led by Phil and held once or twice a month. 

In addition to set activities, the group have also organised a range of fully funded, one-off events, including: footgolf, paddleboarding and an upcoming ten-pin bowling session at the beginning of September.

In order to raise the funds for these, Man Up have implemented various fundraising methods. Solidifying their strong presence in the community, they have placed eight donations boxes in local businesses around the county, including: Kitt’s Pool Room & Bar, The Weigh to Shop in Framwellgate Moor and Fika Coffee Roasters in Langley Park. 

They also received a big sum of money from a football fundraiser organised by Steve Duncan, which was in memory of his wife, Suzanne Duncan, former principal of East Durham College. The event raised an incredible £5200, which was split between Man Up and UK men’s bereavement charity, StrongMen. 

Phil commented: “I think one of the things that is quite inspiring is just there’s so many people who will help us, like whether it be someone who owns a business or someone who’s doing a talk- they’ve just given their time up to do it for us”. 

As well as a raffle, which raised just over £1000, two coffee mornings also took place at The Neighbourhood, raising just under £1000. 

Thanks to these coffee mornings, in July 2025, Man Up were able to hold their biggest event to date- a fully funded overnight ‘wellness weekend’ in the Lake District. Over the course of the trip, 13 men benefited from: transport, accommodation and two walks, including a challenging, but incredibly rewarding hike up Helvellyn. 

Although he wasn’t able to be there, Phil said: “they still talk about that to this day. It was such a bonding moment for them and a lot of them became closer because of that as well”. 

He added: “that trip remains a powerful memory for those who joined- it truly put the UP in Man Up Durham”.  

Again, this harks back to the core values of the group, which, as Phil pointed out are “connection, camaraderie, friendship, support, mental well-being, and physical health”.  

With regards to the physical benefits of joining Man Up, Phil noted that it has helped to improve men’s confidence and overall wellbeing. Boosting this, members receive a free Man Up Durham mug when they complete 50 walks.

He said: “there’s people who have never gone for a five mile walk really before and thought it was too much, but now it’s easy for them”. 

Although Man Up Durham is a men’s mental health group, Phil noted that improved mental well-being is not the only reason why people join. 

“There’s people who just want to make some friends that are not from this area. We have a few people that are not from Durham, so they don’t know many people, but that, in itself, has made them more confident. When it comes to meeting new people, they don’t mind starting a conversation now”, he said. 

He later added: “I think the thing for me is the friendship thing, because there’s so many people who might have been lonely or might have not had that community group of friends. I mean, me personally, my friends are all from school, but now I’ve got friends from everywhere– which a lot of the other guys do as well”.

Helping to form or consolidate these connections, Man Up have an active WhatsApp community, which members can be added to. Here, they are able to join interest-specific groups, such as pool and cycling chats. As every event has its own page, members can stay up to date with details and say whether or not they’re going.

Despite the range of events and activities now available, Phil stressed that the weekly ‘walk & talks’ are and always will be at the core of Man Up. Why? It’s simple.

“All people need to do is just turn up and they’ll be greeted with open arms”, he said.

At Man Up Durham, their motto is “TOGETHER STRONGER”- and it’s not hard to see why. By simply turning up to their first walk, many, like John Greenhalgh, have discovered an incredible support system, benefiting from the lifelong, and often life-changing connections and friendships made.

As we head into September, it’s safe to say that we can expect the lads to continue changing lives – one step at a time.

To donate to Man Up Durham’s ‘STEPtember challenge’, click here.

All walk and event details are posted on Man Up Durham’s Facebook page. Men are welcome to message the page with any questions, though please note that men must be 18 plus to join the group due to the sensitive nature of some conversations.

If you’re struggling and need to talk to someone, you can call Samaritans for free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 116 123. You can also email them at jo@samaritans.org, though be aware that it may take several days to get a response. Or, click here to find your nearest branch. Click here for their website.

Alternatively, you can speak to a trained volunteer at If U Care Share by using their free, confidential, 24/7 text service. Text IUCS to 85258. Click here to see their website.