A NEW walk and talk group in West Belfast is encouraging men to open up about their mental health and struggles.

Founded by Aidan Malone, of White Wolf Wellness, the Divis Mountain Men meet every Tuesday evening at 7pm in the lower car-park at Divis Mountain. As well as the physical health benefits of walking, Aidan said the idea behind forming the group last month was to get men talking to each other.

"I am a recovering gambling addict myself," explained Aidan. "When I eventually found the courage to talk about it, I started to talk to other people with addiction issues.

"Talking to one another helps others. It builds a common ground. A big part of the group is having a laugh too and a bit of craic. I look forward to it every week and I know others in the group do too. There is nothing better than taking a bit of free time out with nature, walking, talking and laughing.

"I set up the group four weeks ago and it has been growing every week. I thought 7pm was a perfect time and it not a very challenging walk either so it is accessible for so many men.

"There are far too many suicide deaths in men, especially in West Belfast. Any support is much-needed and a basic thing such as a walk and talk group for men can make such a difference and ultimately save lives.

"I think it is important that men help men. We know that men are not great at opening up as much but this group is a platform to do that. No one is going to judge you and everyone is made to feel welcome.

"We have men in their 20s right up to men in their 60s. The group is open to all adult men. The group is also very diverse. We have men of different ages, sexualities, economic backgrounds, religion and gender identification. We are also dog friendly if you want to bring your dog along.

"The group has been really helping people improve their mental health and recover from surgeries also. We have a great mission to help people and to save men from suicide.

"I look forward to welcoming more men to join us every Tuesday evening."

You can follow whitewolf_wellness and divismountainmen on Instagram.