A 93-year-old Elgin woman was among scores of people who walked a mile through the town to help defeat stigmas surrounding mental illness.
Betty McLennan said she was “too ashamed” to tell anyone when she was diagnosed with depression in the 1980s.
But yesterday, she laced up her trainers and embarked on the trek round Cooper Park in an effort to convince others not to suffer in silence.
She led a crowd of dozens at the event, which had been arranged to encourage people to discuss their mental health conditions.
Mrs McLennan said: “I have had depression in my life for a very long time, but I’ve been clear of it for a while now.
“I know how bad it can feel, it blighted my life but I didn’t want anyone to know about it and just stayed in the house.
“There’s a stigma that needs to be removed, I want others to know that it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
The Elgin branch of the Scottish Association for Mental Health (Samh) arranged the Walk a Mile event to raise awareness of the group and tackle stigmas surrounding psychological conditions.
A marquee was set up beside the town’s library, and it wsa decorated with balloons and messages of support.
Support worker, Helen Low, estimated that more than 100 walkers took part – and numbers increased as the stroll progressed.
She added: “It’s about getting people talking, we want them to complete the route in pairs with others they don’t know and talk about how they are feeling.”
The head of Moray Council’s mental health and social care partnership made a speech commending all of those who took part.
Ali Walker said: “We have all got mental health, but we can’t all choose what sort we have.
“People with mental illness die 10 years younger than other folk, on average. And one of the reasons for that is that not enough people talk about it.
“We are trying to change that, this is something people must feel comfortable discussing.”
At the end of the walk, the group all posed for selfie photographs which will be used as part of an awareness campaign.
