Lithgow's Walk and Talk for Life will soon have a sister event running very close by.
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The group is coming soon to Blackheath and aims to improve the mental health of the Mountains community.
Walk 'n' Talk For Life is a community group started by former NRL player Shannon Nevin in Manly in 2016, and has spread to more than 10 locations in NSW and Queensland.
It will be launched in Blackheath in September, run by local co-ordinator Garry Sims. People will have the opportunity to join in the easy Fairfax heritage walk - which is family and wheelchair friendly - and talk about what is happening in their life.
The intention is to make connections, so people feel less isolated and lonely, with the intention of helping prevent suicide.
"I got involved because of my growing concern at the suicide rate in Australia, inside policing and in the general community. I've also lost good friends," said Mr Sims from Katoomba, who is a chief inspector at the Hawkesbury Police Area Command.
"In the Hawkesbury our troops respond to suicide on a regular basis, and the majority are males. There are eight suicides a day Australia-wide."
He hopes the group will help start conversations around mental health, and then encourage people to seek help if required.
"Our vision is to get people walking, and in a safe, non-confrontational way, to have a conversation walking side by side," Mr Sims said.
He lost his good friend and Shoalhaven police officer Steve Johnson in May last year, who took his own life, leaving behind a wife and two kids. "He was full of life and no-one picked up the signs," Mr Sims said.
"I have a commitment and passion to try and intervene in suicide because of the loss to everyone," said the man who first became involved in suicide prevention with the R U OK charity a few years ago.
The first Walk n Talk for Life is on September 21 at 10am from the Blue Mountains Heritage Centre, Blackheath, with the intention to hold a walk quarterly.
Mr Nevin will attend the inaugural event, which is free and includes a barbecue, but registration is required. For more info visit Walk n Talk for Life Blue Mountains on Facebook.
- If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.
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