Walk a Mile in Galashiels

Posted by See Me, 5 September 2018

The Walk a Mile event, on September 29, is being arranged by See Me Community Champion Bridget Dickson, from Peebles, who wants to get the town talking about mental health.

Alongside the walk Freda Douglas’ Depressed Cake Café will be at the MacArts Centre from 11am, giving participants the chance to chat about mental heath over tea and cake.

The funds raised from the Cafe will be donated to Inspiring Life: Evie Douglas Memorial Fund. The Trust was set up in 2014, following  21 year old Evie's suicide, to fundraise money to support the improvement of mental health and wellbeing.

Walk a Mile is about bringing people together to talk about mental health. There are no uniforms, no barriers, everyone is on a level playing field.

So far thousands of people have taken part in Walks across Scotland, bringing together health professionals, carers, people with lived experience of mental health problems, students, or anyone who cares about tackling mental health discrimination, to break down barriers as they walk a mile in each other’s shoes.

Bridget said: "Talking more openly about mental health is the only way to stop the stigma that so many people still attach to it, and it is so much easier to talk while having a walk with like-minded people."

See Me director Calum Irving said: “Mental health affects all of us, but there is still a stigma around it. To tackle this properly people need to understand that it is okay not to be okay.

“One of the best ways to change how people think and behave is to make mental health a topic in day to day conversation, rather than a taboo subject people don’t want to talk about.”

The Walk will begin at 12.30 on 29th September 2018. It will start at and end at MacArts Centre, Galashiels. To find out more contact bridget.dickson@seemechampion.org