First Mountains for the Mind group walk!
July 28th was a big day for our Mountains for the Mind campaign, with members of its fast-growing Facebook community coming together to organise the first ever group walk.
Trail went along for a fantastic day on Skiddaw – one of only four Lake District peaks over 3000ft high – on an event that was instigated by two group members, then brilliantly organised and run by a team of voluntary Mountain Leaders and Mental Health First Aiders from Black Dog Outdoors.
The group included a real mix of ages and abilities, with participants travelling hundreds of miles (one all the way from Cornwall!) to walk, talk and explore the Northern Fells together.
We hope this will be the first of many similar events in the future, and if you’re interested in taking part either sign up for the monthly newsletter or join the Facebook group to make sure you don’t miss any announcements.
“Black Dog Outdoors was established in late 2018 to introduce people to outdoor activities as a means of improving their mental health and wellbeing,” said Andy Higson, Black Dog Outdoors director.
“So far in 2019, we’ve held four organised walks, which are supported on the day by qualified Mountain Leaders and Mental Health First Aiders. The most recent of these walks was held on behalf of Trail’s Mountains for the Mind campaign on Skiddaw on July 28th.
“Mountains for the Mind is a fantastic initiative that we, at Black Dog Outdoors, are proud to support. There is synergy with our own aims as an organisation and it was a pleasure to have organised the walk on their behalf. The walk has connected people that, until the event, only new each other through Facebook.
“Feedback from the event attendees has been heart-warming and it was humbling to see the support and encouragement they gave each other on the day. We can't wait until the next event, and to continue supporting the amazing members of the Mountains for the Mind community.”
For more information on future free guided wellbeing walks, visit: www.blackdogoutdoors.co.uk
