Walkers assemble to end mental health stigma
Hundreds of people are set to take over Inverness in an event to tackle mental health discrimination.
Birchwood Highlands is aiming to bring together people from different backgrounds to share a mile in each other’s shoes, and chat about mental health.
The Walk a Mile event is based on the amazing efforts of activist Chris McCullough Young.
After being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder the former social worker walked round the edge of Scotland with no money, taking only a backpack and a tent, to change the way people think about mental health.
While on the walk he spoke to hundreds of people about mental health, staying with people he just met across the Highlands, and succeeded in changing people’s attitudes and perceptions ‘one conversation at a time’.
Now Chris and Birchwood Highland, along with national anti-stigma programme See Me, Befrienders Highland, NHS Highland, HUG (Action for Mental Health), Paths for All, Step It Up Highland and Scottish Waterways Trust are aiming to put on one of the biggest Walk a Mile events yet, following events in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Renfrewshire.
The aim of the event, on 11 June, is to bring together health professionals, carers, people with lived experience, students, anyone who cares about tackling mental health discrimination, to break down barriers as they walk a mile in each other’s shoes.
The walk will be led by local piper Liam Eaton, and the event will also feature street artist Nick Innes, performing with fire, juggling and doing some magic for the crowds.
It’s about breaking down prejudice and seeing how fabulous people are - Chris McCullough Young
Chris said: “The idea of Walk a Mile is to get people who don’t normally talk to each other, who stigmatise against each other, and that goes both ways from professionals towards people with mental health problems and the other way around, to share a mile in each other’s shoes.
“It’s about breaking down prejudice and seeing how fabulous people are.”
See Me community champion Carolyn Henderson, from Foyers, said: “We are aiming to try and attract all age groups and abilities which is why there is the fun and music, talking about mental health does not need to be gloomy and stressful.
“People with mental health illness can often have a more positive approach to life than those that don't because we are often taught this in our treatment, something that people without mental health illness might not get the opportunity to learn.”
Paulina Duncan Birchwood, Highlands network manager, said: “As the leading mental health organisation in the Highlands, Birchwood Highland is committed to doing all we can to bust mental health stigma and discrimination.
“With one in four of us experiencing mental health issues this should be a very natural thing to talk about. We believe that by organising awareness raising events like this one, each time we are getting a step closer to achieving this aim.”
See Me’s community programme manager, Eleanor Ogilvie, said: “We are delighted to see Walk a Mile coming to Inverness for the biggest walk we have seen in the area and we want people to join us from all over the Highlands.
“It’s so important that people, especially those in more rural areas, are able to come together and speak about mental health in a safe space.”
The walk will starts at 11am from the corner of Bught Part beside Ballifeary House and people will start gathering at 10.45am.
