\n The male mental health support charity set up the first group in Carlisle in January 2024, and have since opened new clubs in Penrith, a second Carlisle site and soon to be opened group in Annan.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mental Health Awareness week took place from May 12 – May 18\u00a0and is an annual event that aims to raise awareness and promote open conversations about mental health.\n<\/p>\n
\n Andy’s Man Club help breakdown male mental health stigmas (Image: Mike Beverley) Every year the week has a theme. This year’s theme was the importance of community, something that Andy\u2019s Man Club is \u201cfundamentally\u201d built on.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mike Beverly, the lead facilitator for the Carlisle East group, said: \u201cWe all come from Carlisle and the surrounding areas which quickly helps to build a sense of group and identity.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe are immediately accessible to every man that attends and because we have all used the service at some time, the lads can quickly see that we have an understanding and an empathy for what they are dealing with.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThis goes a long way in helping both the men and their loved ones to see that they are both heard and safe when they come to us.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The club recruits facilitators from the group that attend on Monday evening, the very community that they serve.\n<\/p>\n
\n This has allowed the club to build the capacity to open up new venues and provide help and support for increasing numbers of men in the area.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mike added: \u201cAs the profile of the clubs continue to evolve over the coming years we will hopefully be seen as one of the natural choices for men who want to talk things through.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt is wonderful to see and hear of organisations in the primary healthcare sector that encourage men to come along and join us as they obviously see the impact that AMC can have on a man.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Since 2024\u00a0the club has grown from strength to strength.\n<\/p>\n
\n Many businesses now get in touch with an invite to get members from the club in and talk to both the men and women who work there.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n Over the course of the last year and a half Andy\u2019s Man Club have worked with over 20 organisations in and around Carlisle and this is expanding week on week. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n The group often attend events to raise awareness. (Image: Mike Beverley) A recent awareness event at Chapel Cross power station in Annan has resulted in the Office for Nuclear Regulation now deciding to actively involve Andy\u2019s Man Club as part of their well-being strategy for the UK.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mike said: \u201cWe are always really keen to hear from people with ideas on how we can expand the work of AMC and develop its activities and the impact that the club can have on men.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The club also creates a space of belonging for men that feel isolated, especially in challenging times.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mike explained: \u201cWe know that a man needs his own \u2018toolbox\u2019 of ways to manage his mental health which help him navigate life\u2019s ups and downs. \u00a0If we can in any way help him and his family to build this then we\u2019re not doing too bad a job.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cNot surprisingly the lads keep in touch outside of the sessions. Many times they\u2019ll come in the following Monday and tell everyone about the game of golf, the disappointing football match or the cup of coffee that they\u2019ve had together.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWithout sounding too trite they quickly feel part of a brotherhood that easily extends beyond the time that we all spend together on a Monday evening.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45, men are also three times more likely to die from suicide than women. Andy\u2019s Man Club helps break down the stigma which makes men feel like they can\u2019t talk about their feelings.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mike said: \u201cA regular and popular presence on social media and the attendance at public events in the ways described earlier help so much in reducing the stigma of mental health discussions. \u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cAs facilitators we are perhaps now more comfortable discussing issues around maintaining good mental health.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe fundamentally believe in the power of talk and we hope that this naturally comes through in all that we do.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n The group, since its inception in Carlisle in 2024, have further strengthened community ties, such as attending events.\n<\/p>\n
\n Andy’s Man Club have grown from strength to strength (Image: Nigel Clibbens) Mike said: \u201cWe are working to develop a number of key projects designed to support men. We are playing a very active role in Carlisle\u2019s preparation for the Baton of Hope activities in September of this year.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe have taken on a project with Carlisle College to raise the awareness of good mental health in 16-18 year old men.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe are also turning part of our focus onto the impact that mental health has on rural communities and, in particular, the farming industry. This is an area that is close to our hearts, coming from Cumbria and understanding the important role that it plays for the country as a whole.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cFinally, The Piatek family have made us feel extremely welcome at all of the Carlisle United games that we have attended and have stated their support for the work that AMC does both publicly and privately on numerous occasions.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Looking ahead, mental health is a topic that should be discussed 52 weeks a year, not just one, and Andy\u2019s Man Club is providing a space for that to happen, and the group has plans to keep growing.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mike said: \u201cIn addition to the work on our Monday sessions we attended the Blood Bikes Cumbria Skills Awareness and Open Day 2025 at Carlisle Airport on May 18.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWe are committed to providing a strong sense of continuity. As facilitators we all attend the Monday evening sessions as much as possible.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThis is not least for the fact that we all need to see a friendly face but that this also builds trust, which is vital as men start to unpack and make sense of what\u2019s bothering them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n Andy\u2019s Man Club hosts sessions every Monday at 7pm \u2013 except bank holidays. It\u2019s free to attend and you don\u2019t need to let the group know in advance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The male mental health support charity set up the first group in Carlisle in January 2024, and have…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123902,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-123901","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114554327742756213","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123901"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123901\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}