Why I Walk for a Life

Why I Walk for a Life

Mental health and suicide prevention were a big part of why I stood as a councillor at Somerset Council. I wanted to see from the inside what is actually being done, and what a unitary authority has the power to do.

On Thursday 17th of September, Shepton Mallet hosts its first Walk for a Life. It starts at 5.30pm from Shepton Mallet Library in Market Place, with a gentle, wheelchair and pushchair friendly loop around Collett Park. Afterwards we’ll gather back at the library between 6.30pm and 8.30pm for refreshments and a chance to talk. The Mind Hub at 57c High Street will be open through the evening for anyone who wants to speak to someone.

Somerset Council’s Public Health team has run this walk in Taunton since 2022. I went, and I saw what it gave people — a space to remember, to say things out loud that can be left unsaid. I came away certain it needed to happen in the east of the county too.

The numbers are why this matters. In 2024 there were 6,190 suicides registered in England and Wales, a rate of 11.4 per 100,000 — the highest since 1999. Somerset has consistently run above the England average, and the risk is greatest in middle age and in our most deprived communities. Rural isolation, distance from services and the quiet way people here carry things all play into that.

Behind every one of those figures is a family, close friends and a wider circle. Suicide has touched my own close-knit community.

None of this is inevitable. Most of prevention isn’t clinical — it’s noticing, asking, and knowing how to help: what the vocabulary might be to start that conversation and keep it going.

If you can come on Thursday, please do. Walk for someone you’ve lost, or because you think this should be easier to talk about. Or for reasons you don’t want to share. Any reason is enough.

If you or someone you know is struggling, Mindline Somerset’s 24/7 helpline is 01823 276892 or freephone 0800 138 1692. Samaritans are on 116 123, free, any time.