Back and Forth Men’s Mental Health Group was formed after the death of a former PC in 2022

A police officer from Coventry who set up a mental health walking group for men in October said it was going from strength to strength. Pc Dan Phillips, from the city’s Local Policing area, launched the group to give other West Midlands Police officers a chance to get out and spend time together to talk about their mental health.

The group, called Back and Forth-Men’s Mental Health, has now widened to include walkers from out of the force area and has started to gain a following on social media, with more than 1,000 followers. The group was set up after the death of one of Dan’s colleagues in 2022.

The walks take place at Coombe Abbey every Sunday, but there are plans to add more dates and routes.

“The group has already grown bigger than I could have imagined. I think it shows how needed things like this are, and the wide-reaching effect of mental health, on men in particular,” Dan said.

“Men are notoriously bad at opening up about things affecting them, and this needs to change. We aren’t counsellors or trained in mental health, but our life experiences and knowledge of support available means we can get people to help and support them when they need it.

“The group has already grown bigger than I could have imagined. I think it shows how needed things like this are, and the wide-reaching effect of mental health, on men in particular,” Dan said.

“Men are notoriously bad at opening up about things affecting them, and this needs to change. We aren’t counsellors or trained in mental health, but our life experiences and knowledge of support available means we can get people to help and support them when they need it.

ref:coventrytelegraph