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At sunrise on June 21st, Tony and I will be taking a 13-mile stroll around the hills and fells above Haydon Bridge and around Langley in memory of our son Stuart who tragically took his own life on July 18th 2020. We will take in many of the places that Stu loved and spent many hours, whether he was working, spending time with friends or just in his own space with his own thoughts. He valued the outdoors, the wildlife and the fabulous views, and especially liked to roam in the early hours when everything takes an extraordinary ambience. 

We hope that through our walk that we may be able to raise a little money for a local charity Heart Wood. Heart Wood is a mental health charity based in Hexham for men who are experiencing complex and enduring poor mental health. It also offers help for younger men aged 16-24 who are suffering with poor mental health. It offers group counselling in a natural woodland setting, which includes building and lighting fires, having a brew and having an opportunity to talk and listen around the fire, building a space to feel safe and be open and honest about experiences and feelings without pressure. There is then the facility for further therapy to take place indoors. Participants also have the chance to undertake and learn woodland skills and woodland conservation, harnessing the therapeutic benefits of being outdoors in the fresh air and sometimes getting wet and mucky whilst engaging with nature. 

We hope that by supporting this charity it will allow Heart Wood to help more men come through their problems and their darkness to find some contentment and improve their lifestyle and sense of well being, enabling them to live fulfilling and positive lives. 

Comments from a past participant: "The group has given me a 'safe place' to talk and learn from genuine, trusting people who really understood my predicament. A space where I feel I can be as open and honest as necessary without judgement from anyone else. I feel 'more human.' I don't feel as lost as I did before joining the group."

Comments from a mother of a past participant: "Thank you for accepting my son on your pilot, he seemed to gain a lot from it, and I think it has allowed him to reframe his idea around therapy. I saw a change in him which was positive, very welcome and brought him out of his darkness."

To find out more about Heart Wood contact Emma on 07813 814644, email admin@heartwoodcharity.org or visit their website www.heartwoodcharity.org.

Thank you, Kathryn

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