Supporting men through difficulties in their mental and physical ill health, ultimately to prevent suicide.

Hail yea! Darlo Lads Walk and Talk 2025.

An amazing challenge in the most challenging conditions imaginable. 62 men battling Storm Bert to walk from Langdon Beck to Darlington to raise nearly £18000 to support our work.


On the early morning 01:00 of Saturday 23 November 62 men set out from Langdon Beck high up in the Tees Valley to walk to Darlington 38 miles downriver to raise awareness of male suicide and raise funds for ManHealth. The forecast was for Storm Bert to hit us by 5am and boy did Bert hit us hard.

I have never seen snow like it and by 8am as we approached Barnard Castle there was over a foot of snow with blizzard conditions. At this point with still over 18 miles to go many of the men had to abandon due to the extreme cold. Well over half of the men set off to complete the final miles. As the morning wore on the heavy snow changed to heavy rain and all the snow melted leaving everywhere sodden and we were now all completely soaked and freezing. Storm Bert was doing his utmost to make us abandon the challenge. We very buoyed by the words of the organiser Joe Crees who said to us all, "This storm is nothing in comparison to the storm a man is going through when he is considering taking his own life". With that quote emboldening us and the continuous support of our two men in the support vehicle Paul Wilson and Chris Underwood we continued onwards on our odyssey to Darlington. The walk was completed in the dark at about 4:30pm. Kudos to all those who took part and huge congratulations to those hardy souls who completed the whole distance in what was the most arduous and challenging event I have ever undertaken. Paul Bannister


Other stories

An amazing evening in memory of a special man. Les Bowden Charity night.

A great night was enjoyed by all in memory of a special man. Les Bowden.

A beautiful day had by all.....

The weather was kind to us once again and we all had a lovely walk along the River Wear to Wolsingham.

Why am I doing this...........

What an amazing day we all had at our annual tandem parachute jump on August 3 2024.

We all live at the top of Eldon Bank

Shildon AFC to continue work in partnership with ManHealth to tackle male suicide. ManHealth are delighted to renew for a second year their partnership with Shildon AFC. The partnership includes display boards around the ground and the ManHealth logo on the sleeve of their new home and away shirts. Paul Bannister from ManHealth said “We are delighted to continue working with Shildon AFC on this exciting initiative. The North East of England has the highest suicide rate in the UK. 74% of all deaths by suicide are men. Suicide is the leading cause of death in men aged under 50. The biggest at-risk group from suicide are men aged between 45 and 54.

Samaritans.

Phone: 116 123.

Disability Confident
Association of Mental Health Providers Member
Men and Boys Coalition
See Her Thrive
Families Include Fathers