Our firefighters have been taking part in Movember to raise awareness of the importance of men's health.
Firefighters Dean Corney and Daniel Ascough lead Walk and Talk 999, a men's mental health walking group for firefighters and a space to talk about anything that may be troubling them.
The group held 14 different walks across London in November, supporting Movember and each other.
Speaking about the importance of men's mental health, Dean said: “About three years ago a group of us were talking about the male suicide rate and how men in our line of work, and in general, don’t talk about their mental health. We talked about why we thought that was, the possible barriers and ways we could encourage conversation to try and help break the stigma.
“Some men feel like they are on their own, so just having the opportunity to get out of the house and come see us is a massive boost.
“We are so pleased with all the support and the amount of people turning up and contacting us as we wanted to get the conversations started around mental health and this shows it is happening, which is fantastic.”
Our Walk and Talk 999 group have a diverse range of experiences and qualifications in mental health, and a common goal to tackle the high suicide rate of men.
Elsewhere in London, firefighters at Dagenham Fire Station have been fundraising for Movember.
Firefighter Andre Van Der Water and his colleagues have been growing moustaches, and even added one to their turntable ladder, which has helped the team raise nearly £1000 - double their original target.
Crews at West Norwood, Wembley and West Hampstead fire stations have also banded together by growing moustaches.
Sebastian Esfahani, a firefighter on West Hampstead's Blue Watch, said: "Movember uses comedy to highlight serious issues affecting men. It's important we talk to one another to stay healthy, both mentally and physically.”
As part of their commitment to creating a healthy and safe workplace, the Brigade has taken steps to improve support for its people, so all staff benefit from mental health first aiders, well-being dogs and training courses to recognise and manage stress, anxiety and depression.
Movember fundraisers are part of a global community making a difference in mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
