In mid-2016, nine men met in a small room in the archetypal Yorkshire town of Halifax, with a simple aim of talking through their issues and helping each other deal with their mental health. All in attendance were agreed there was a magic in that room that had to be shared. This was the start of a movement that has grown faster than anyone first involved could have ever imagined. Fast forward five years and ANDYSMANCLUB now has groups at over 50 locations across three constituent countries of the United Kingdom.
ANDYSMANCLUB takes its name from Andrew Roberts, a man who sadly took his own life aged 23 in early 2016. Andy’s family had no inkling that he was suffering or struggling to the extent that he would do this, and as a result looked deeper into male suicide and men’s mental health. They soon discovered that male suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50, with Male Mental Health surrounded by well-ingrained cultural stigma in the UK. Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler are Andy’s Mum and Brother-in-Law, together they came up with the idea of ANDYSMANCLUB, a group where men aged 18 and above can speak openly about their mental health in a judgment-free, non-clinical environment. Groups now operate nationwide and are completely volunteer-led, with the vast majority of group facilitators having first interacted with ANDYSMANCLUB when they came through the door as a service user.
With their service used on a weekly basis by over 1,000 men, and an army of over 200 volunteers on board, the movement is continuing to grow on a week by week basis.
To attend ANDYSMANCLUB, drop us an email – info@andysmanclub.co.uk
Website: www.andysmanclub.co.uk
Twitter: @andysmanclubuk