Nottingham based charity, Muted, is arranging a sponsored fire walk to raise awareness of the effects of depression suffered by men.
Muted is a registered charity that provides information, support and knowledge of depression in men.
Their aim is to reduce the stigma and reluctance of recognition of depression and to reach out to men to help them recognise the symptoms and accept treatment.
The charity is not funded by the government, so it is constantly organising fundraising events to receive donations and raise awareness of the issues of depression in men.
Muted has set a target for 40 people to attempt to walk across the 700 degree fire walk. They are also aiming to make it into the Guinness Book of Records by having the oldest person in the UK attempt it.
Ian Hastings, 43, of Mapperley, is the founder of Muted and organised the fire walk as he believes many people would rather walk on fire than talk about their depression.
He said: “The thing that appealed to us about the fire walk is that it is something completely different and it’s very, very brave.
That’s one of the things with dealing with mental health, it’s a brave step to take.
Ian Hastings, Founder of Muted.
Ian founded the charity after his own experiences with mental health and depression. He said: “The main point is it’s not just the person going through it, it effects the people around them, family, friends, employers, literally everyone.”
According to the Muted charity, 75% of suicides in the UK are by men as women are more likely to have been treated for mental health problems.
Ian said that men often don’t know how to admit that they are poorly and they can’t handle it. Research shows women handle it completely different to men.
The fire walk will take place on September 4 at Nuffield Health Centre in Mapperley.
Picture: Last fire walk event.
