On the 9th of September I completed the 1460 mile challenge I started on June 1st.

I arrived at Alcantara in Spain the last 308 miles with 5 friends from Northampton and part of a bigger tour with 16 others of an End to End trip top to bottom of Portugal.

Funding raised will support the Action for Happiness Northamptonshire Hub in partnership with Delapre Abbey Wellbeing to bring together providers of mental health services for men and promote positive mental health. We hope with enough funds a webpage that can support partnerships between services and continue to raise awareness of where men can go to get help (including the new 111 option 2 telephone number).

I hope to work with others to encourage men to share and talk rather than bottle their feelings. To decrease stigma and increase self compassion.

I have had my own mental health struggles (and still do), I have reached out for help from my GP and therapists and this has been helpful . The 10 Keys to Happier Living, and practicing daily habits, has really helped me in later life navigate difficulties without further relapse.

• 1460 is the Battle of Northampton which was held in the grounds of Delapre Abbey where is am a Trustee of Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust.
• There is a battle for men’s mental health, to address the inner dialogue that sadly leads to men dying at their own hands rather than reaching out and getting the help they need.
• “No man is an island” is a poem written by John Donne which clearly explains connectedness and that we need each other to co-exist. We are not isolated islands, we are all part of a larger thing and if one person dies, everyone is affected.
• 10th of September is World Suicide Prevention Day – but every day is a suicide prevention day if we decrease stigma and promote more awareness of services available and encourage ways to promote positive mental health.

Stigma and men not reaching out or getting support kills. Compassion, including self talk and by family and friends, with accessible support around people suffering, can be life saving.

I have been a GP for 30 years and involved in mental health commissioning and training. The last decade I have been involved with Action for Happiness and looking at what action I can take for myself and in the world around me to increase happiness and decrease unhappiness.

The commonest cause of death under the age of 45 for men is taking their own life by suicide. in Northamptonshire, we have good resources however stigma often prevent men getting involved. Male depression can be often overlooked with men getting irritable and increased use of substance misuse rather than support and engagement with positive psychology and community action or exercsie which all help us feel better.

Donations will be split 75% to the Action for Happiness Northants Hub (a constituted group) and 25% to Delapre Abbey Preservation trust Wellbeing Hub, working together to raise awareness of mens mental health by bringing partners together. This will be by network meetings and if we raise enough through a webpage development.