There were cheers, tears and tired feet in equal measure as two of the mortgage industry’s most recognisable champions of mental health crossed the finish line in London last Friday – bringing to a close a six-day, 141-mile journey that has captured hearts and smashed a £10,000 fundraising target with a price match from specialist lender Together.
Jason Berry (main picture, right), group sales director at Crystal Specialist Finance, and Dev Malle (main picture, left), chief business development officer at Simplify, arrived triumphantly at Landbay’s offices in Victoria to mark the end of the Mortgage Industry Mental Health Charter’s (MIMHC) second annual charity walk.
The ambitious challenge – an end-to-end trek along the Grand Union Canal from Birmingham to London – was far more than a physical feat. It was a statement. One made in boots, blisters and bold conversations.
“It’s been humbling,” said Berry, co-founder of the MIMHC, whose passion for championing mental health support within the mortgage sector has fuelled the initiative from the start. This walk isn’t just about the miles. It’s about breaking down barriers, one step at a time.”
POWER OF UNITY
Malle agreed, adding: “What we’ve seen over the past week is the power of unity and purpose. These conversations – held on towpaths, under bridges and beside lock gates – are the ones that can save lives.”
SUPPORTING CAST
Alongside Berry and Malle, a diverse cast of mortgage professionals laced up their walking shoes to take part in different legs of the journey, showing support and solidarity for the cause.
The route – steeped in industrial history and winding through urban, rural and suburban England – served as a poignant metaphor for the complexity of mental health journeys.
NIALL STRINGER FOUNDATION
At the heart of this year’s walk was a fundraising effort for the Niall Stringer Foundation which also sparked renewed calls for open conversations around mental wellbeing.
“Niall was a caring young lad who had time for everyone who surrounded him, always willing to be there for anyone he spent time with,” Rob Jupp, trustee of the foundation and CEO of Brightstar Group told Mortgage Soup.
“He grew up in the Southend area and loved his rugby, music, and the local skate park and the colour Pink, inspired by the kit he wore whilst playing for Old Brentwoods RFC.
“Niall had an infectious personality and was loved by so many including his school mates and teachers, at King John School in Benfleet, his fellow rugby players and his skater pals.”
Tragically, just months before his 18th birthday, on 18th February 2022, Niall took his own life.
It was a moment which brought together so many people and began the journey to the Niall Stringer Foundation being formed.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Beyond fundraising, the MIMHC walk – now in its second year – has become a cornerstone of its broader mission: to foster a healthier, more supportive culture within the mortgage industry.
The Charter, founded in 2021, has steadily gained momentum with signatories from firms large and small pledging to prioritise mental health as a vital pillar of workplace wellbeing.
The closing moments at Landbay were marked by applause, embraces and quiet reflection. But there was also a shared sense that something greater had been achieved.
“This is a reminder,” said Berry, “that in a competitive, fast-moving industry like ours, compassion and connection matter. And when we walk together, we move forward together.”
CHALLENGING AND DIFFICULT
Addressing the final day’s Leggers at Landbay’s Victoria HQ, Berry said: “The ups and downs that you go through on a week like this can be challenging and difficult at times. And I’ve gone through the week, pretty successfully until last night.
“If I’m honest with you last night was tough and I was getting my most irritated and irritable. I lay in my bed and I just thought I’m absolutely done with this, my feet were killing me and then I got a message from Niall’s dad (see video below). And it just reminded me why we were doing this.
“Doing something that is truly making a difference is really important and the money we have raised this week will make a meaningful difference.”
SO SOLID CREW
Malle added: “I can tell you categorically, this would not have been possible if it wasn’t for two fabulous ladies who supported us from Sunday through to today – Jane and Julia (Jason’s wife and daughter) have been phenomenal.
“The passion that Jason has for this cause is unbelievable. And I can tell you, in the mornings and in the evenings, before we do the walk, he was on it – making sure Leggers knew what they were doing or whether it was making sure I was okay or whatever it was.”
And he added: “We’re really, really lucky to have someone like this in the industry with us.”
GAME CHANGING
Rob Jupp, trustee of the Niall Stringer Foundation and chief executive of Brightstar Group, told the Leggers: “I’d rather not be up here today, talking about this charity, I’d actually rather this charity didn’t exist.”
But he added: “But it exists because of tragedy, tragedy from a very talented young man who I was privileged to know and who played in my son’s rugby team.”
Jupp went on to explain how Niall hadn’t shown any signs of mental health but one day, completely planned, unfortunately took his own life.
After much soul searching the families of Niall’s club rallied around and set up the Foundation to help prevent another tragedy happening.
VITAL FUNDS
He later added about the funds raised: “To give this some sort of perspective, the money you have raised will provide around eight months’ worth of MHFA courses.
“With 16 delegates, running a course every month we will qualify 128 new mental health first aiders. Each club has around 500 players so that’s a coverage of around 64,000 young people. That’s the same total number of people that live in Loughborough!
“Thank you everyone. Keep rattling those virtual tins to justify the blisters on your pinkies.”
As the sun set over Victoria and the final step was taken, the message was clear: the road to better mental health is long but no one needs to walk it alone.
MY DAY AS A LEGGER: FROM WATFORD TO LANDBAY
Robyn Hall writes: “Setting off from Watford on foot, the Grand Union Canal offers a quiet departure from the suburbs, weaving through green corridors and behind back gardens where life seems to slow to the pace of the water.”
“Early on, the towpath passes through Cassiobury Park – lush and peaceful, with morning joggers and dog walkers dotting the route.
“Kingfishers and herons occasionally flash across the surface and narrowboats, some lived-in, others moored for leisure, line the edges.
“As the miles unfold, the surroundings shift subtly.
“You skirt through the leafy stretches before entering more industrial sections near Southall and Hayes.
“These stretches hint at the canal’s working past – old warehouses, graffitied bridges and crumbling brickwork blending with new developments.
“The contrast between past and present is striking and as you pass people fishing (and bloody cyclists going way too fast for a tow path) or sitting quietly, the sensible ones with headphones in, others not so.
“The path offers moments of near solitude despite your proximity to one of the world’s busiest cities.”
“Leaving the canal near Paddington Basin, the final leg to London Victoria takes you onto busy streets. The sudden shift from the quiet of the canal to station hassle, the rush of buses and cars (and bloody cyclists) – is somewhat jarring.
“Yet there’s a sense of completion as we make our way through Hyde Park to the amber nectar that awaits at Landbay’s HQ.
“We’ve travelled, on foot, from Watford to London, tracing a historic waterway that still pulses with quiet life amid the modern sprawl.
“It’s a heroic effort. Almost on a par with Odysseus entering Troy (in my mind, at least). No hollow horse here though. Just plenty of hollow feet.
“And with those feet aching and with more than one blister and a left little toe crying out to me in pain (even now, three days later, it seems to want to detach itself) I found myself thinking ‘never, ever, ever, again’.
“But then, as we reach the finish line…
“So, Jason, what’s the route next year?”
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