HI Mark, i've written some words about my experience see what you reckon:-

"I've known Mark for 6 or so years and in that time i've seen some of the struggles he has overcome and how he took the seed of something and saw it realised.
I've been impressed by this, when the mental health challenges could have gotten the better of someone. its more poignant for having seen this.
I've come to alot of the walks he has organised through his New Forest wellbeing group and I always have come away glad that i went.
I've felt grateful that there even exists something like this..it was important to understand early on, that this was a different kind of group..although we're walking - we're sharing and connecting, the walking speed was secondary to this aspect. with a likely autistic spectrum disorder, this was particularly key for me.
I've made friends and also been challenged internally - where light has been shone on some of my buried pre-conceptions and judgements.
I've seen people not sure at first (and i include myself) how to talk from the heart, it can be a scary place at first, but Mark always made a point of putting this way of communicating front and centre.
True to being more than a walking group, he has also organised events such as camping and Kayaking and again i'm impressed at how he uses his belief and his skill at networking to bring these events to the group, whereas normally they could be prohibitively expensive for me, i was able to afford to go.
I get the sense of a real desire in Mark, a mission, to create a community where one has been lacking...i think i only realised how sorely lacking this area was in this type of group, when one appeared.
He will never say he has "solved" people's problems directly, but i will say he has helped create the conditions for people to begin to help themselves..which is the the real value in my opinion."

Ben

Hi Mark, here is the review. Putting it in here so you can copy paste it more easily but lmk if you prefer email! Just note that it's in two parts as I reached the character limit haha.

I moved back to the UK last year after a long time away, feeling a little lost to be back, and hoping to make some connections.
I joined Mark's hiking group shortly after I arrived back, thinking it would be yet another group where we walk very fast and chat for a while without really sharing much.
I soon found out, however, that Mark's group is unlikely any other that I'd ever encountered.
Instead of heading straight off on the hike as soon as we hit the start time like I'd seen in other groups, Mark gathered us all together, as he does every week, and took some time to welcome us, looking us all in the eye as if he were talking to each and everyone one of us.
He was vulnerable and open about the journey that led him to his higher purpose of love and kindness and let us know that this group is a safe space where we are encouraged to "speak from the heart."
As a result, this community has grown into one that is warm, open and welcoming where you instinctively feel safe to share and speak from the heart without feeling shamed or judged.

Mark takes the time to speak to every one of us at some point in the hike, and you know that if you're going through something that week, he will listen, care, understand, and will be able to share something that has helped him to overcome his own obstacles and become who he is today.
The walk is done at a moderate pace that everyone can keep up with, with no pressure to speed up as I've seen in other groups, and regular breaks are taken so that we can drink some water and rest a little before setting off again.
This group has been a lifeline to so many people. It kept me going when I first got back to the UK, and sometimes mid-week if I were struggling a little, I would focus on keeping going until I could join the group again on another of these wonderful and transformative hikes.
The fresh air, exercise, stunning landscapes of the New Forest and warm and open group are one of the best parts of my week, and I'm so grateful to Mark for doing what so many can't and having a heart that radiates so strongly that others know they can let down their walls and connect in a way that fills them up and gives them up.
I can't wait to see what other incredible things Mark will create and hope to join him on some of his future community adventures as he is someone with the depth, wisdom and power to change people's lives.

Monika H.

Lindsey Beumer

Keith Finley