Yorkshire Walking Group Aims to Break Silence Around Men’s Grief
A new initiative in the Yorkshire Dales is offering a unique space for men to confront loss and find healing through community and nature.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought grief into sharp focus for many, but for some communities, the barriers to processing loss remain particularly high. Mukhtar Rehman, a Bradford-based hair stylist and community worker, experienced this firsthand when he lost his father, Abdul Rehman, four years ago at the age of 83. Holding his father in his arms as he died left Rehman with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a profound sense of isolation.
“I had PTSD – I didn’t know how to process that emotion of loss,” Rehman shared.
Following a year of “silence and suppressed grief,” Rehman found solace in the natural landscape, a journey that ultimately inspired him to create a similar outlet for other men. He is now launching a walking group in the Yorkshire Dales, designed to foster open conversation and emotional wellbeing.
As the only son in his family, Rehman, 38, felt an immediate responsibility to care for his mother and five sisters. “It kind of fell on me, that responsibility,” he recalls. “I couldn’t express myself emotionally, I felt like I had to support others. It was autopilot – it only really sank in afterwards.” The initial period after his father’s burial was marked by an inability to eat or sleep, haunted by vivid memories. He “blocked it out for a year,” before beginning to address his grief.
Rehman’s experience is not isolated. He quickly recognized a broader issue within his community. “Men from ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to access formal mental health services,” he explains. “Yet many men are impacted by grief, loss, and cultural stigma around expressing emotion.”
Recent research published in the British Journal of General Practice supports this observation, finding that South Asian men in the UK are more likely to experience mental health issues but are less likely to access talking therapies. The study underscored the urgent need for culturally sensitive, community-led approaches to mental health support.
Rehman himself benefited from two rounds of therapy, which “gave me the tools and the mechanisms to be able to manage myself a lot better.” However, he also discovered the restorative power of the outdoors. “When I’m surrounded by nature, it almost heals me in a way I can’t explain,” he says.
Driven by a desire to honor his father’s legacy of community service, Rehman is leading the inaugural walking group this Sunday in Malham. The activities are funded by a bursary from the Yorkshire Dales Community Champion scheme and will incorporate mindfulness sessions, quiet reflection, and opportunities for men to “open up.”
Rehman hopes the project will not only provide a pathway to healing for others but also challenge the notion that grief must be endured in solitude. “The whole idea is to get men talking to other men, getting out into the countryside,” he says. “It’s not about fixing grief – it’s about facing it together.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC’s Action Line.
