MP 'devastated' by loss of friend to suicide
Stuart Woodward/BBCAn MP said the loss of a close friend to suicide made him even more determined to raise awareness of men's mental health issues.
David Burton-Sampson, Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, helped to arrange more than a dozen "walk and talk" events around the country on Sunday, aimed at giving men a safe space to talk to others.
The MP, who is chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Male Suicide and Mental Health, said the conversation was "definitely opening up".
"I think men are becoming more willing to talk, but we can't stop until those [suicide] figures come down," he said.
'Terrible statistic'
Burton-Sampson opened up about losing his friend to suicide in 2024, just days before their birthday.
"It was a tragedy; it was unexpected - a young person in their 30s - and the impact that has on the family, friends and everybody around that individual is just awful," he said.
"I never want to have that phone call again to tell me that a friend of mine or family member has taken their own life."
Stuart Woodward/BBC"It devastated me," the MP said, and added that the loss "really focused my mind".
Burton-Sampson is now a men's mental health champion in Parliament, and said he was working with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) around the Men's Health Strategy, which the government adopted last year.
He said suicide was "the biggest killer of men under the age of 54... a terrible statistic".
As part of the Labour Men and Boys group, 14 events were arranged across the country on Sunday - mostly walks, but some for cyclists or swimmers - but all of them were 4.5km long.
"We're calling it "4.5k your way"," Burton-Sampson said, adding that each kilometre represented a year that men live less than women, on average.
Stuart Woodward/BBCThe MP was speaking ahead of a walk around Belfairs Woods in his constituency, which was arranged in conjunction with Andy's Man Club, which is a national men's suicide prevention charity.
Aaron Davies, lead facilitator for the charity's Hockley branch, said the walk was "a leveller" for men of all ages and abilities to participate in.
He said many people still felt there was "a shame attached" to having mental health issues, which needed to be addressed.
"A lot of the time, unfortunately, there's a misunderstanding of what mental health is," he said.
"Thankfully that taboo is being broken, but it's still important to keep up that awareness.
"We have 19-year-olds talking to 73-year-olds and they just get on like a house on fire - there's no preaching."
Stuart Woodward/BBCAbout 25 people participated in the Belfairs Woods walk, including Kiril Vorobiov, an 18-year-old student.
"I think a walk… is a very good way to sort of get the steam out, to relax… just to talk about different stuff," he said.
"It's a safe space [which] is very important."
Kevin Hex, from Langdon Hills, also took part in the walk, saying that Andy's Man Club had helped a relative with their mental health.
"Guys are not always very good at talking about their feelings and what might be on their mind," he said.
"I think [the walk] is an environment where people feel more relaxed and they know that they're not going to be judged.
"They're not going to look, say, soft or not manly, when in actual fact quite often people's problems are similar."
A DHSC spokesperson said the walks raised awareness of a "vital issue".
"Our Men's Health Strategy marks a turning point in how we approach men's mental health, backed by £3.6m for suicide prevention projects," they said.
They added that the government was "working at pace to transform mental health services, investing £688m in additional funding this year, hiring 8,500 more mental health workers and expanding NHS Talking therapies".
"Our landmark reforms to the Mental Health Act will also better protect patients with severe mental illness," they said.
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
