Mountains Mend Minds: Fife film crew’s documentary on benefits of hillwalking

Mountains Mend Minds will follow the adventures of Ross Cunningham, a Munro-bagger from Glenrothes who recovered from severe depression by hillwalking through Scotland with his west-highland terrier, Dex. The film is being produced by MidgieBite Media, a Kirkcaldy-based digital media business.

Ross was the inaugural winner of Scotland’s ‘Media/Online Walking Champion’ award at the Scottish Walking Awards, is a member of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on mental health, a ‘Mountains for the Minds’ ambassador for Trail magazine; and a regular fundraiser for mental health charity, SAM-H.

The documentary will feature him taking novice hillwalkers under his wing, to see if getting outdoors can help with their own mental health challenges, as well as showcasing the stories of others who have felt the benefits of exploring Scotland’s mountains.

The film builds upon the Mountains Mend Minds blog, founded by Ross in 2020 to encourage more Scots to get out into the hills of their native landscape.

Filming will take place throughout Scotland, showcasing stunning hills from Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh to Ben Nevis and Scotland’s highest peaks. Initial filming has already taken place, with Ross taking his friend Anas Hassan for a walk through the Lomond Hills.

Mountains Mend Minds is being produced and directed by MidgieBite Media’s Gavin Hugh, a close friend of Ross. The pair have previously collaborated on two previous short films about hillwalking for BBC The Social, which have each gained millions of views across multiple social media platforms.

The crew also includes Tom Alner from White Wolf Media as director of photography, Megan Moss from The Scottish Drone Co, and Jenni Leigh, a Kirkcaldy-based photographer.

The team is looking to raise a minimum of £5000 and has launched an online crowdfunding appeal via Kickstarter – and it has also posted a short preview online at https://vimeo.com/807042355?share=copy to raise awareness of the project and give a taste of what the team is hoping to achieve.

Ross said: “I'm delighted to take part in anything which promotes the mental health benefits of the outdoors and encourages other people to take up hillwalking.”

“When I went through a period of severe depression, I didn't want to be here and I didn't think there was any hope. Summiting Scotland's mountains and opening up about how I was feeling were key to my recovery and hopefully video projects like this can reduce the stigma of mental illness for others who are struggling.”

Gavin, who is producer and director, said: “It’s been really inspiring and humbling to watch Ross progress through his journey over the years. I couldn’t be prouder of him and what he has achieved. This documentary is a unique opportunity to share that journey with others, particularly those who may be struggling with their own mental health challenges. It is our hope that they can relate to the stories in the film, and that it inspires and encourages more people to get outdoors to discover the potential mental health benefits of hillwalking for themselves.”

The crowdfunding campaign closes on August 31.