Men's health 'walking group' is gaining momentum

18 January 2024

A walking group to support men’s mental health set up in memory of a West Midlands Police officer who took his own life is gathering momentum.

West Midlands Police Federation member PC Dan Phillips created the group as a tribute to his friend and colleague PC Marc Forth, who died in April.

The group was set up in October, initially for male officers in West Midlands Police.

In the space of three months, the group has more than 800 followers on its Facebook page and is attracting walkers from outside the Force as well.

Dan, who has been a police officers for 22 years, said: “Marc was a good friend of ours and his death hit home hard.

“I think he was the fifth or sixth officer since I joined that I’ve known who has taken his own life.

“I’d already thought about setting something up and that was what really motivated me to do it.

“I’ve faced issues myself in the past and I’ve always been out and taking the dogs for a walk and I’ve found it cleared my head.

“I decided to set a group up, initially for male colleagues in West Midlands Police.

“We don’t have to talk about anything in particular but just get out in the fresh air, a bit of walking and talking and making friends and meeting people you might not necessarily come across when you’re in work.

“And we’ve had so many people outside the job find out about it and want to get involved, so I’ve opened it up to any bloke who wants to come and have a walk.”

The group is named Back and Forth - Men’s Mental Health after PC Forth.

Dan said: “I wanted to keep his name in it to make sure people remember why we’re doing this.”

The group has been meeting at Coombe Abbey Country Park in Coventry on Sunday mornings, but as spring approaches there are plans to add more days and more routes - and possibly further down the line to take on charitable status.

Dan explained: “We’ve been doing Coombe Abbey because the weather has been pretty rubbish, which limits where you can go.

“Most people come from around Coventry, so it’s an easy place to get to, but the plan is for longer walks, and to hold them in different places.

“In the long run I’d like to register the group as a charity, with the idea being we could do some sponsored walks, raise some money, and put it to use sending groups of blokes on small breaks together so they can get away but are not on their own - but that’s a little way off yet.”

Dan said that mental health was now talked about more than it had ever been in his previous two decades in policing.

“It used to be we just got on and dealt with it and didn’t talk about it,” he said.

“I’m a massive advocate for talking about things and getting them off your chest and not bottling them up.

“In general, it’s far more accepted now and there are far more opportunities for people to speak about it, and we hope this group supports that.

“I always bottled things up and never spoke about things. I’ve been there and had some pretty low times.

“It’s getting over that first hurdle of doing it, acknowledging you’ve got something going on and that you could do with someone to talk to or some fresh air to take my mind off things.”

More information, including walk dates and times, is available on the Back and Forth - Men’s Mental Health Facebook page.