Blue Monday gets a rebrand for walk

LABOUR MPS RAISE AWARENESS FOR MEN'S MENTAL HEALTH

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THIS Sunday, whatever the January weather, David Burton-Sampson will walk 4.5km in Belfairs Woods in his Essex constituency.

It's not a random distance - every kilometre will represent one of the years men die earlier than women in the UK.

The MP for Southend West and Leigh will be walking in memory of his close friend who took his own life last year just two days before his birthday.

“My friend was a bubbly, charismatic, full-of-life person in his mid-30s” David says, “And one day he unexpectedly took his own life. The impact that has had on his husband, his family and friends has been devastating, and it still sits with all of us today.

“We all live with the unknowns as to why, the questions we will never have answered. Why did I not make that phone call? What could I have done to prevent this from happening?

“But his story is just one of many. Men accounted for three out of four suicides in 2023. It is the leading cause of death for men under 54.

“And the thing is, suicide doesn't have to happen. It's preventable”

This Monday is “Blue Monday”, widely recognised as the most depressing day of the year.

‘A term once coined cynically by the travel industry, it rings true for many of us during the cold, dark nights that follow the bright lights of Christmas, botched resolutions, and the long gap before pay day with festive bills and debts still to be paid.

As the chair of the APPG on suicide and mental health, and a member of the Labour group for men and boys, David is acutely aware of how tough January can be - but this weekend he will be just one of a dozen Labour MPs taking on the symbolic “4.5k Your Way” challenge to highlight the gap in men’s longevity, and the government's new mental health strategy.