Preston mental health support group hosting a Walk and Talk 4 Men event this weekend

This Saturday, a mental health support group called 'Walk and Talk 4 Men' are hosting a walk at Avenham and Miller Park for men from around Preston.

The idea of the group is to encourage men to meet up for a stroll in their local area, offering the chance for them to get outside, socialise and offload any pent up feelings, generally improving their mental wellbeing by doing so.

The first Walk and Talk 4 Men group was set up two years ago in Essex by James Mace, but since then, volunteers across the country have been hosting their own Walk and Talk 4 Men groups, with the Preston branch first meeting up a year ago.

The organiser for the Preston group, Bob Flood, 40, a sales manager who lives in Leyland, explained: "Its all about getting guys together, standing shoulder to shoulder, because quite often we find it easier to open up when we’re not having to discuss things face to face, and just having a nice chat. Sometimes people will open up about anything, and other times it might just be talking a load of old codswallop for an hour but ultimately it gets people out to meet new people.

"Even just being in that group can help you, you know that once a month you're getting out and having the opportunity to chat, and I’ve often said it about my mental health issues, that I actually find it easier to speak to people I don't know than people I do know, but it's also a case of getting out there and enjoying the open air, because that has massive effects on your mental health too."

Open to all men, the group will meet outside the Continental Pub at 10am for a 10:15 start on Saturday, and will then do a six kilometre walk down the River Ribble, before heading to Avenham and Miller Park.

Bob, who is also a Community Ambassador for Movember, added: "It’s pretty flexible really, you don't have to do the whole walk, you can come and do as much of it or as little as it as you want.

"If you fancy getting out into the fresh air and having a chat with likeminded men, then just come along and join the group really."

To attend on Saturday, you can go to the Facebook event, or message the Walk and Talk 4 Men group, or Bob Flood himself, with both accounts being found in the event description.

The Preston group currently meet up once a month to do a similar walk, and are hoping to encourage more local men to get involved.

As well as the Preston group, there is also a Walk and Talk for Lilywhites held every Thursday at Deepdale for men and women to join, which you can read more about here.

To find out more about Walk and Talk 4 Men groups across the country, visit their website or Facebook group.