Battling the stigma of breaking men’s silence
Wearing four stones of medieval armour, a County Durham man will march 250 miles from York to Hastings with the aim of raising awareness about suicide prevention.
Lewis Kirkbride, of Pittington, hopes the 20-day challenge will encourage men to talk about their mental health after his own battle with anxiety and depression.
Echoing the battle of 1066 that saw King Harold defend his kingdom from the Vikings, the 37-year-old said mental health problems can invade your life and attack from all sides.
The dad-of-two said: “King Harold had to defend his kingdom by first defeating a Viking army near York on September 25, then marching south in 20 days to face the Norman invaders at the south coast on October 14.
“Like the battles of 1066, mental health problems can invade your life and attack from all sides.
“We do our best to fight, but putting on a brave face every day takes a lot of energy – a bit like heavy armour weighing down on our shoulders every step of the way. Hopefully my march will have a happier ending than Harold’s, and even though it’ll be a solo journey with lots of ups and downs I’m looking forward to talking to lots of kind and helpful people along the way.
“I will need help at each stop on my route, and a bit of company will be very welcome. It all proves that we all have our struggles, but if you’re willing to talk, there’s always someone willing to listen.”
Lewis hopes his challenge will open up the conversation around mental health and encourage men who are struggling to speak out.
He added: “Men still aren’t asking for help or talking when they need to. It can feel like we are alone with nowhere to turn when mental health services and communities around us are struggling to support these men – but I want to show that people are willing to listen. Nobody needs to suffer in silence.
“People looked at me and saw a healthy young man with a job, a home, a wife and a happy family but I was losing my own battle with depression and anxiety.
“My hobbies in medieval combat gave me an important link to my sense of self and to other people, but I wish I’d got talking about my mental health much sooner.”
In preparation for the event in September, Lewis has started walking around the hills near his home with the armour that weighs four stone.
He said: “I’m walking in kit as much as possible, to get used to it and the physical challenge.
“Hopefully I’ll get to a point where I can walk 10-15 miles every day for a week, if I can negotiate my wife, children and work schedule, then I’ll know the rest of the challenge is mental, emotional and logistical.”
Lewis hopes to raise £10,660 for men’s mental health support organisation Manhealth, which offers training on health inequalities and mental health.
Like the battles of 1066, mental health problems can invade your life and attack from all sides.
LEWIS KIRKBRIDE