A BAND of determined walkers braved a 23-mile slog through torrential rain to raise awareness of men’s mental health.

The walk, from Northallerton Football Club to the Mowden Arena in Darlington, took the group around ten hours to complete in appalling weather on Sunday.

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It was organised by Karen Bentham, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, who set up Karen’s Safe Haven in Northallerton and surrounding areas to support people struggling mentally.

She particularly wanted to raise awareness of the impact poor mental health has on men.

ONS figures analysed by The Samaritans show that in England, men aged 45 to 49 continue to have the highest suicide rate of any other demographic group.

Karen said that the group supported each other mentally and physically during the mammoth trek during which they only saw about 15-minutes of dry weather.

She said: “Feeling proud is a massive understatement.”

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