Share the Weight with Andy Baines-Vosper

Very special thanks to Andy for his time and conversation!

We took the opportunity to speak with Andy, creator of the ‘Share the Weight’ initiative. Andy is a bloke on a mission: to ask one million people to help share the weight on his shoulders. As a longstanding Samaritans volunteer and advocate for mental health, Andy carries a 24.7kg bag of worries (weighing 24.7kg to remind people Samaritans are open 24/7) on his shoulders to symbolise the emotional burdens we all carry. The weight serves as a tangible reminder of the invisible struggles we all face every day. Through his Share the Weight campaign, Andy aims to normalise conversations about life, mental health and suicide whilst showing that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a sign of strength.

Andy will be joining us for our Wellbeing Talk in May 2025 to share his journey, the incredible stories of connection he’s experienced along the way, and how we can all take steps to support one another by sharing the weight.

So, who is Andy Baines-Vosper?

By his own definition, he is ‘just a bloke on a mission to ask a million people to share the weight on my shoulders.’

Carrying a 24.7kg sandbag, Andy travels around asking those he encounters to help him carry the weight on his shoulders, even if it’s only for a few seconds! Andy’s sandbag represents the struggles that every single person carries: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

By asking others to help him carry the load, Andy shares the important message: it is okay to ask for help and share our problems. Whilst we all carry an invisible weight of life’s worries, Andy’s very physical, real, bag of weight is a visual representation of our thoughts and feelings that we experience all day long, every day.

As a longstanding Samaritan volunteer, Andy understands the dangers of choosing not to speak out when we are feelings the pressures of life, alone. He stresses at every opportunity that reaching out for help doesn’t make us weak. It is important to be open about the things that weigh us down; it doesn’t make us a burden or a nuisance. However, this message is often forgotten when we are struggling and feel as though we have no one to turn towards.

Andy reminds everyone that he speaks with that there are listening services available if they do not feel able, or ready to speak to those around them. A huge part of Andy’s ongoing mission is to reduce the number of suicides that are reported annually in the UK and beyond. His ethos is based on the saying that ‘suicide is the final collapse under an unbearable weight’.

Andy shed some light on how he would advise someone to start the conversation about how they are feeling – especially if they haven’t spoken about it before. Andy explained that he, too, found it hard to want to speak out about the difficulties he has faced. However, taking the first step and having that first conversation was the best thing he ever did – and saved his life:

I went through lots before and didn’t ask for help until it was almost too late. I found out I was infertile and didn’t ask for help, and found myself in the heights of addiction, refusing to reach out for support. I really thought I could cope alone. When I felt myself becoming low and found myself considering whether I wanted to keep living, whether I had the strength to continue, I still didn’t want to ask for help. I found myself crying one day and feeling so alone. Looking at what I do now and by carrying the 24.7kg everywhere, I realise that we often don’t realise how heavy the weight has become. I didn’t even realise how bad I was feeling because I had got used to it. Speaking out was the hardest thing I ever did. Talking about it didn’t make the problems disappear or solve all the issues, but it lightened the load I was holding. I couldn’t carry it for much longer without the help and support from others.

 The bag is mine and I still carry it, everywhere – physically, and emotionally. Though I have learnt that sharing the weight of my sandbag, and in turn, my problems means that it is much more manageable to carry. I couldn’t press on towards my challenge without the help of others. The biggest lesson I have learned is that the weight we each carry, unites us. This challenge is the best thing I have ever done. Please remember, it is okay to talk!

Taking that first step is incredibly daunting for many. Admitting that you need help to carry on should never be underestimated, especially as a bloke nowadays. Andy told us that he struggled to overcome the first conversation, but it changed the course of his life. Whilst he acknowledged that he could have reached out before, Andy also recognises that when he finally did, it was the right time for him. He found that speaking with strangers was the first step that he was able to take. He started with the Samaritans who were able to offer free, confidential, and non-judgemental support without the pressure of them knowing you. Andy also says that speaking with a counsellor may also be another avenue that may be helpful if speaking with close family and friends feels impossible.

Reaching out is difficult because your pride and ego may challenge you. But it’s so important because you never know what will cause the tipping point.

We asked Andy to give his younger self some advice:

I’d say for certain – no hair gel!

 On a serious note, I would tell myself that asking for help, whether through a challenge or a tough time is life changing. I would reassure my younger self that it’s okay to ask: the more you ask, the more good you get to see in people, the world and life itself. We think that everyone has it together, apart from us; that others are bulletproof but when you start sharing, you give that permission for others to share their hardship, and you realise that everyone is facing their own struggles. No one is bullet proof. We are stronger together.

Finally, we asked Andy how we can help with his mission and his response was:

Share the weight! Not only through talking, but also by encouraging others to speak out and share their stories too.

Engaging with his social media is also an incredibly supportive action and helps to spread the message of sharing to lighten the burdens we all carry. Andy acknowledged that through his time “sharing the weight” he has heard so many others’ stories and continues to talk about his own struggles too. Remembering that everyone has their own weight has been instrumental in how Andy navigates conversations and his day-to-day life, and he invites you to have the same awareness of this as you move through your day, week, year and so on. Everyone else’s weight is completely invisible and remember that underneath everything is a weight and though it might fluctuate, we all have something. Be kind and don’t judge. Remember that we all have something, and we never know what one thing can take from bearable to unbearable.

Andy’s daughter, Rhiannon has been following in Andy’s footsteps and has joined the effort with a 5kg weight! As a young person, she wants to start the conversation around sharing the weight as early as possible. We think that Rhiannon is just as incredible as her dad, and support both Andy and Rhiannon in their missions!