A half marathon is no easy feat, but is something Londoner Scott Johnson is willing to take on for the sake of improving men’s mental health.
The 47-year-old founded The Proper Blokes Club, a movement to encourage men to walk and talk, in September 2020.
What started as one walk per week has turned into a community-led project and now, Johnson organises 40 walks each week, many led by the same men who came to the club for help.
Johnson said: “I’m a big advocate of physical activity aiding your mental health, so it wouldn’t be any good if I was just a bit of a couch potato.”
The very first time he hosted his walk only one person showed up, 15 minutes late, but Johnson has been able to build a community of supportive men by hosting walks regularly.
Johnson undertakes regular long distance runs to raise money for the group as well and on Sunday 23 February, he completed half a marathon, raising a total of £945 to support more walks which provide an open space for men to walk and talk.
He has also pushed himself to other physical extremes to raise funds.
Among other achievements he has walked 65 miles in 24 hours and run a super marathon, and intends to walk a marathon in every London borough this year.
Much of the money will be spent on marketing The Proper Blokes Club, from digital screens on vans which will be driven around London to pushing ads on social media in an effort to draw attention to the group.
Johnson’s ambition comes from his personal experiences with mental health and how physical exercise helped him.
He said: “I went through some issues myself a few years back in regards to access to my children.
“I was in out of the court system for a long period of time, and it took its toll mentally, but I was very much a part of the crowd where grow a pair, man up, don’t talk about emotions.
“We would just go down a pub, you drink your problems away.”
Now, he is proud of the community he has built to encourage other men to speak about their problems instead.
To donate to The Proper Blokes Club, visit Johnson’s GoFundMe.
Picture credit: Scott Johnson
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