Proper Blokes walk and talk for mental health

What’s a proper bloke? Scott Johnson, the driving force behind The Proper Blokes Club, asks this question when he introduces the group, which helps men look after their mental health through walking and talking. “Where I’m from, the term ‘bloke’ is bandied around all the time,” says Scott. “A proper bloke in my eyes is someone that doesn’t change their personality or characteristics, but they have an empathetic ear, and they’re going to answer the question ‘how are you doing?’ honestly.”

Mental health has become more and more prominent in the national conversation in recent years, as organisations from local community groups to blue-chip companies realise the benefits of getting people to open up about their wellbeing. This surge of interest is reflected in the rapid expansion of The Proper Blokes Club, which has grown from its origins here in Southwark to run 14 walks a week and counting across London. What started as a small group for local dads became an official organisation in 2022 when Scott registered it as a Community Interest Company. “We’re relatively small – we don’t have offices, we don’t have cars,” says Scott. “Funding goes towards my time to deliver the programmes and a bit of marketing. But as we grow, that will obviously get bigger.”

Scott was born and bred in Bermondsey, but it was a walk he’d set up in Rickmansworth that put him in contact with

British Land. A member of British Land’s Canada Water team came down to join up with the group, to get out and about and help look after his own mental wellbeing. “I told him about what we were doing in Southwark and he said, I’m 100% behind this,” recalls Scott. “He told me about the work British Land are doing with funding community projects and introduced me to the community team.” Funding from British Land enabled The Proper Blokes Club to put on an exhibition and drop-in session, to show more blokes what they could gain from joining a walk.

“I joined very early on,” says James, a regular on one of the walks. “It’s been an incredible journey watching this group grow into massive numbers of proper blokes who have committed themselves during an unprecedented time in everyone’s life to helping each other get through it the best we can. The support from each and every bloke has been amazing. In such a short space of time, we have become what can only be described as a brotherhood.”

Proper Blokes Club Team Southwark meet at the Angel pub in Rotherhithe at 6.30pm on Thursdays and 8.30am on Sundays, for a magnificent four-mile walk along the south side of the Thames path to the historic docklands. To find out more, contact The Proper Blokes club on 07937 501110, email theproperblokesclub@gmail.com or visit www.theproperblokesclub.co.uk