North Belfast men's group promotes positive mental health by walking and talking at Cave Hill

For many Christmas is a time of celebration, but for others it can also be a struggle.

A north Belfast walking group is aiming to overcome mental health challenges by climbing Cave Hill every week.

It started as a one-man venture but has since grown into a large group. Each walker bonded by common challenges and the desire to get men talking.

Orin Calder organises the walks. He told UTV: "I posted it on my socials and then I couldn't believe the amount of attention it was getting.

"Literally in five weeks of starting it we went from four or five people to 18 people. It's pretty amazing."

As the men climb a mountain, they speak of uphill battles.

Some talk openly about their mental health, others just want a friendly face to talk to. "There's a lot of guys here that live on their own that come here, and apart from work and their family life, they don't really have any other 'get-out' from daily routine and daily life," explained.

"They can come up here and talk about whatever they want."

The weekly walk started at the beginning of this summer - attracting men from backgrounds across the city. The hope is to get more people to open up and speak up. Men reaching for the heights when they are feeling low - they hope others will join them on that journey.

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