World Mental Health Day takes place every year on 10 October and is a gentle reminder of the importance of good mental health and the need to prioritise and invest in mental wellbeing. For 2026, the theme set by the World Federation for Mental Health is “Lived experiences heard: Real voices, real change.” The theme is built on the principle that meaningful progress in mental health can only be achieved through working closely with people who have direct, lived experience of mental health challenges and life-changing events.
The World Federation for Mental Health’s message is: “We must move beyond speaking for people and create genuine opportunities to listen, learn, and work with them.”
For the charity’s Community Engagement team, we appreciate how important it is to listen to the communities we work with and learn from their experiences. Some of our most powerful lessons about mental wellbeing come from the stories participants share with us. And it is not just participants, it is our staff and volunteers whose experiences are equally as important.
This World Mental Health Day, we’re sharing three deeply personal stories that demonstrate how connection, community, nature and shared experiences can support mental wellbeing. While every person’s journey is unique, these stories remind us of the value of listening to lived experience and learning from one another.
Paul, Community Engagement lead in Torbay
When my partner passed away in March 2021 I was suddenly faced with a multitude of choices. Where was I going to live? What was I going to do regarding work? How would I cope with arranging a funeral, dealing with an estate, supporting children who had lost their mother? I had moved to London to be with her after she was diagnosed with cancer, and now, after what had been thought to be a successful, long course of chemotherapy and other treatments she had passed away within a very short 3-week period. I could no longer stay in the same apartment. I didn’t want to stay working in London in a job that, although I liked it, I wasn’t fulfilled in it and I no longer wanted to live somewhere that reminded me every day of someone I had lost.
A few months previously, whilst walking together with friends near Swanage, my friend asked me, “What’s this like compared to the Thames Path?” We had made a regular habit through the Covid Lockdown of walking daily on that path near our flat in London. Now we were being battered by a storm high up on the cliffs near Swanage. “This is awesome!” I replied, “So much better!” and that Christmas I purchased myself a guide to the SWCP and a book about walking the English Coast.
The latter is a book written by a GP from Norfolk who found herself prescribing walks for patients and then realising she didn’t really do any herself. She started to walk the Norfolk Coast Path and hasn’t stopped since.
“I could do that” I thought to myself. Apparently less people have walked around the coast of the UK than have climbed Mount Everest. I will never do the latter. Perhaps I could do the former…
So, I decided to start with a plan to complete the SWCP over a series of 52 walks that summer. I started with the end – Poole Harbour and walked for two days back along the unbelievably beautiful Dorset coast towards Durdle Dor. I had the most glorious weekend and was hooked. Quickly I planned the next 50 walks and then over the following 3 months completed the whole trail.
It gave me something to do. I didn’t have to think, “What will I do this weekend?”, or “How am I going to fill the summer holidays?” (I was a teacher). It just gave me a purpose and a point. I raised funds for the hospice where she had spent her final days and I blogged my way around the coast.
It allowed me to clear my head and start to process what had happened. I walked around half of it by myself and half with friends and family. Tremendous bonuses in both of those. Sharing a phenomenal experience, talking, crying, remembering, celebrating as the walk progressed.
It connected me with nature and the natural world in a way that I had never been before. From burning sunshine to ferocious gusting wind and lashing rain. I was alive and I have never felt more so.
The incredible views, the immense pride of not only ascending individual hills but of completing the whole walk was life-changing for me. After I finished in September of that year I moved down to Devon to start the next stage of my life and eventually to end up working for the South West Coast Path Association for my job.
My mental health was SO helped through this process I cannot speak highly enough of what it meant for me. The chance to reflect, to remember, to mourn was all there. The joy of sharing the literal highs and lows with those around and those I met has changed me and healed me. Some of my best friends now are people I met whilst walking. The time taken where I did not have to think what am I doing next made all the difference. It was decided for me, I would just go to the next bit and walk some more.
Everyone’s journey and everyone’s path will be different. It’s not the same for everyone. But the “truths” I learned whilst doing it will stay with me for ever.
- It’s amazing how quickly you “make height.” Sometimes looking ahead at the next big hill is scary and frightening. Will I make it? Can I do it? What if this or that happens? But actually, one step at a time, not forgetting the occasional slip in the mud or sit down because it’s all just a bit too much. You DO “make height”, you DO move forward, you do keep on going.
- “Sometimes the view is better from behind.” My son said this referring to the need to remember to turn round and look at the view you have passed – it’s easy to miss it! How much more true for our lives? Not that “behind” is better, but that we must not be afraid to look back, to remember, to celebrate how far we have come. Not just in our walking.
- “You don’t need to line up all your ducks before you start something. Sometimes they just need to start gathering in the pond.” My friend shared this as I started to plan my walk. You don’t always know how something will pan out. You cannot always think of everything before you start. But you CAN get started. You CAN make the first steps. I encourage YOU to do that too and begin your own journey wherever that will take you!
Walking Together: Sunrise Cornwall CIC
In Cornwall, we have been working with Sunrise Cornwall CIC for a couple of years. Sunrise are a brilliant organisation, offering a range of support to those who have lost loved ones through suicide.
Here is what founder Elliott has to say:
Our walks have always been a huge success and are such an important part of what we offer. They provide the perfect opportunity to step out into the wild, switch off from the noise of everyday life, and simply breathe in fresh air.
At Sunrise Cornwall CIC, we provide FREE safe and supportive events, workshops, and activities for adults affected by loss through suicide. Our walks offer something truly special — the chance to be alongside others who understand this unique and painful journey.
There is something powerful about walking side by side. The conversations feel easier, the silence feels comfortable, and a sense of community naturally begins to grow.
These walks help create connection, support, and those all-important conversations that remind people they are not alone.’
Sunrise Cornwall’s work highlights an important part of this year’s World Mental Health Day message. By listening to people with lived experience and providing opportunities for them to connect with others, they create an environment where understanding, support and hope can flourish.
Plymouth: a volunteer’s story
Cherie is one of our valuable Coast Path Connector Volunteers based in Plymouth, and shares her story.
Earlier in the summer I had the opportunity to attend a two day course on Mental Health First Aid with Devon Mind and train as a Mental Health First Aider. One of the topics that we covered was the definition of mental health and how it can be used to describe different areas of health. I found it particularly helpful to think of mental health as something we all have, just as we all have physical health, as this helps to remove any stigma society may have attached to it.
I experience days/seasons of both good and poor mental health and one such season was in February 2021 when I immigrated to the UK for the first time. I had suddenly lost my precious dad just 2 weeks before arriving and landed in the UK towards the end of a cold and grey looking season. It wasn’t long before the impact of my loss, of leaving my friends and family behind as well as the country I knew and loved since birth started to hit home for me. I found myself in a deep depression, not wanting to continue with life without my dad by my side and questioning daily whether I had made the right move. This lasted for a few weeks before reaching out for support from my local GP as well as signing up to join a walking group later on in the spring. Slowly, slowly I began to feel like myself again (albeit a new version of self). I began to fall in love with England and the natural beauty around me. I can remember taking lots of photos of bare trees on rolling green hilltops. Something I still love to do today!
The change I witnessed in myself is one of the many reasons why I still love walking in nature with others and by myself. I personally know the benefits it brings to my mental health and how good it is to be able to get outdoors with others. Whenever I am out walking, it is like a breath of fresh air for my mind, soul and body. All parts of me begin to breathe again and take deep breaths in.
Mentally, my mind is clearer after a walk. Emotionally, my heart is happier after I have connected with like minded people and physically, it is good to move my body.
Having moved to Plymouth in April 2024 not knowing anyone, I decided to volunteer to lead walks on the coast path to meet other people and share my love for walking. I still experience overwhelming days where daily life seems too much for one person except now I know what I need. I put on my boots and get out of my house for a good walk and to connect with others. I have found the group to be a friendly and welcoming bunch of people and enjoy a good chat over a cuppa usually half way through the walk.
Cherie’s story is a powerful reminder of the positive impact that walking, nature and social connection can have on wellbeing, and of the valuable role volunteers play in helping others access those benefits.
At the South West Coast Path Association, we are proud to work with communities and organisations that place people’s voices and lived experiences at the heart of what they do. Stories like this show that the South West Coast Path is more than a walking route; for many, it is a place of reflection, connection and healing. This World Mental Health Day, we remain committed to listening, learning and creating opportunities for people to feel heard, supported and valued, while championing the many ways that time outdoors can contribute to positive mental wellbeing.
This World Mental Health Day, let’s talk, listen, and support better mental health together.
World Mental Health Day takes place every year on 10 October.
It reminds us why good mental health is so important, and how we can prioritise it in our lives and communities. It’s also a moment to talk openly and listen to what others are experiencing.
The theme for 2026 is “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change” (World Federation for Mental Health).
Conversations about mental health make a difference. And they matter most when we listen to people’s experiences.
Find Out More at the following websites:
World Mental Health Day Official
