The walk, organised by The Wild Wolf – a non-profit organisation founded to support men’s mental health – is specifically geared towards beginning conversations about suicide rates among men.
‘I’ve worked with quite a few men in the past years who have reached that point,’ said Wild Wolf founder Tim Rowe. ‘We can’t hide it – we have to bring it out in the open.’
The Guernsey Mortality Trends 2024 report revealed that men make up 76% of deaths by suicide in Guernsey, with 40- to 49-year-olds and 20- to 29-year-olds being the most vulnerable age groups.
An average of 4.3 Guernseymen have taken their lives every year between 2005 and 2024, with overall suicide numbers almost doubling during that period, though per capita rates have seen a slower rise.
Mr Rowe shared his own journey through the mental health struggles that led him to become an advocate for men’s mental health.
‘Thirteen years ago I reached that point. It was just everything building up,’ he said.
‘There was a lot of shame and guilt about it.’
Now a qualified embodiment and trauma-informed coach, Mr Rowe is trying to do his part to fill the void of men in the guidance space. Some data sets suggest that more than 80% of counsellors and therapists in the UK are female, and Mr Rowe believes that the lack of men offering help with mental health issues may be one reason why they are a demographic less likely to seek help.
‘We’re also socially conditioned,’ he said. ‘When you’re little, you’re told, “Man up! Man up!”’
He also raised the issue of men turning to addictive substances and behaviours instead of seeking help. According to the NHS, men are more than twice as likely as women to be in treatment for all drug addictions, excepting alcohol.
The walk, which this year is being titled ‘From Darkness to Light’, is meant to symbolise hope in midst of despair, and represent the journey out of mental health issues.
It starts in St Peter Port, from outside Mocca Coffee House in the Old Quarter at 6pm, heading along a 4km route to Bulwer Avenue.
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