Morecambe barber sets up walking support group to help other addicts

Gareth Richardson says something as simple as walking has helped him kick the habit he began in his mid-20s.

“I got myself into quite a bad place and wasn’t a very nice person caused by emotional trauma in my past,” said Gareth.

“Things came to a head in my life so I wanted to regain control and I’ve now been clean for 15 weeks.”

Gareth cites Tyson Fury as an inspiration. The Morecambe-based boxer, who has acknowledged his own past mental health problems, is known to have helped a young man contemplating suicide by taking him out for a run and chatting to him.

Gareth, 35, found that exercise has not only helped his own state of mind but also led him to lose four stone in weight and he’s even climbed Helvellyn in the Lakes twice as part of his new regime.

“Something as simple as walking has led me to a better lifestyle and had an impact on my mental health and kept me from substance abuse,” said Gareth who works in Kendal.

He’s now set up a walking group for other people wanting to overcome their own issues and struggles with mental health.

“There’s so many people out there who I can relate to so I’m setting up this group so they can make those first steps to getting back control of their lives.”

Gareth’s group is called AddACTION (though this is not connected to the national Addaction charity) and anyone interested in joining can visit https://www.facebook.com/AddACTION-105891085475816.