TWO MEN from Barry have completed a four-day trek from Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons to the top of Snowdon in north Wales in a bid to raise awareness of their free innovative mental health course for vulnerable males in the community.
Paul Regan, 36, and Charles ‘Chaz’ Needham, 34, set up ‘Stand Tall Wales’ to help men in the Vale who are struggling with aspects of their mental health, and in January they began running a new, free strength and wellbeing course which runs for eight-week blocks.
The course consists of weekly two-hour sessions, where sessions begin with an hour of weightlifting for all ability levels under gym enthusiast Chaz’s tutorship.
In the second hour, mental health nurse Paul leads the wellbeing workshops and seminars where the men discuss topics including stress, sleep, anxiety and depression, and work on evidence-based approaches to help them.
Paul and Chaz came up with the idea while watching their sons play football for Barry Athletic. Paul said: “I began my training as a mental health nurse back in 2013, and I’ve worked in many different areas across a range of client groups.
“I was also a mental health nurse in the Army Reserve where I also worked as a physical training instructor.
“I’m interested in cognitive behavioural therapy for which I have a postgraduate qualification but I’m perpetually studying.
“I’ve always had a passion for helping others learn more about their mental health and wellbeing and I set up Stand Tall Wales with Chaz to do my part for the community.
“It’s often the case that men struggle to talk about their emotions and all too often they suffer in silence.
“There is clear evidence that taking exercise can massively help people suffering from mental health problems, and we also find that after spending the first hour of the weekly session working with Chaz on the weightlifting, they are more inclined to open up and discuss how they’re feeling in the second hour with me,” he said.
The four-day Peak to Peak Challenge began on Friday, 19th May, at the foot of Pen y Fan, which they climbed before heading down Jacob’s Ladder towards Brecon.
From there, they headed north along Brecon Road towards Builth Wells, before joining the A470 to end the day in Rhyader, where they camped for the night.
The following morning, Paul and Chaz left Rhyader and walked the 25 miles up the B4518 to reach Llanbrynmair.
On day three, they travelled a further 29 miles along the B4518 to Snowdonia National Park, and they then walked further up the A470 before spending the night in Bronaber.
The fourth and final day saw the men take a shortcut, as Paul explained: “The trek was supposed to be 108 miles, but on the fourth morning, Chaz and I realised we were behind schedule because we hadn’t been walking quickly enough.
“I think we were in Dolgellau when we got on a public bus full of schoolchildren, who must’ve been gobsmacked to see these two smelly men jumping on board,” he said.
By this stage, Chaz was suffering far more than Paul with blisters, but nevertheless, the two men made it to the summit of Snowdon, from where, tired and exhausted, they unveiled the Stand Tall Wales flag to signal the end of their mammoth journey.
The main purpose of the trek was to raise awareness of Stand Tall Wales and their course, but there was also a prize draw where people had the chance to win items donated by local businesses.
Paul and Chaz initially aimed to raise £400 through selling tickets for the prize draw, but the final total was more than double that at £955, and the money will be used to help fund their course.
With the four-day trek completed, Paul revealed there had been a light-hearted dispute between himself and Chaz about any future challenges: “I’m keen to give something else a go, but Chaz, who is muscley and strong, has lots of blisters on his feet and is struggling to get up the stairs, so he doesn’t want to know at the moment!” he said.
As he enjoys some well-earned rest at home, Paul hopes his bid to raise awareness will encourage men who are experiencing mental health difficulties to contact Stand Tall Wales and consider joining their course: “We understand that men seeking help is hard, and getting men through the door is difficult. “The challenge was about making people more aware of what Stand Tall Wales can offer. You don’t have to go through a GP or any service, you can self-refer to us,” he said.
To learn more about Stand Tall Wales and to send a self-referral, please visit: Stand Tall Wales.
By MARCUS STEAD
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