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The ICCM Journal | Winter 2021 | V89 No. 4
it’s ok to talk David Jennings discusses the Andy's Man Club support club Its 7pm on Monday night and normally I would be at Altrincham Football Club for the weekly meeting of Andy's Man Club. However, it is bank holiday and this is the only time we do not meet. However much you feel you don't need the support, the weeks without a meeting show you how important a part of the week it is. At the beginning of February there was an advert on the club website to say that a peer to peer support group for men was opening at the club and after much deliberation I decided to give it a go. I have since gone on to become a facilitator and hope my contributions assist others taking the decision to walk through the door. Andy’s Man Club came into being almost five years ago when, without the slightest warning and at just 23 years old, family man Andrew Roberts took his own life. It was April 2016, and soon after, in a selfless act prompted by the inner turmoil he had kept hidden, his brother in law Luke Ambler helped set up a support group in his memory, calling it Andy’s Man Club and holding the inaugural meeting in the family’s home town of Halifax. It attracted nine local men, all grateful for the chance to unburden themselves in the company of fellow-sufferers. A week later, 15 turned up for the second meeting, and the numbers have continued to rise since, to the extent that hundreds of men now gather on a weekly basis at groups the length and breadth of England, Scotland and Wales. Weekly sessions are aimed at encouraging men aged 18-plus to share their worries or anxieties with others and help reduce stigma about the condition. A cordial welcome awaits all at these free weekly sessions every Monday from 7pm until 9pm. For further information or to book a place, please email info@andysmanclub.co.uk. Across in Tameside Tuesday nights sees Mike Gurney attend The Anthony Seddon Centre in Ashton-u-Lyne to offer support, guidance and a listening ear to anyone who is bereaved or struggling. Like Andy’s Man Club, this was set up in the wake of someone dying by suicide and the need to provide somewhere for people to go and talk about issues that are affecting their mental health and wellbeing in their daily lives. Again, this is a support network where people are helping each other on different levels from bereavement to family groups. Just over a year after Anthony died, Donna and Brian set up The Anthony Seddon Fund in July 2014. They were passionate about supporting others with mental health issues. They wanted to help those going through similar situations to themselves and to raise awareness of mental health issues to the wider population. This passion has ensued and they have thrived as a charity! Successful fundraising led to the decision to set up a shop base and so came about the very first Anthony Seddon Fund Shop. The shop was more than just somewhere to drop off donations and buy, it rapidly became a place where people would come to talk and share their experiences whilst they browsed. It was a place of caring and support for the community. It also gave somewhere to display information about other organisations in Tameside. As the charity and its customer base grew, the number of people looking for information, support or just someone to talk to outgrew what the shop could cope with. This was when they decided to attain another property to provide a supportive environment for people with mental health worries. The centre allows a space to provide a safe environment for anyone. Information about other local mental health services can be displayed and shared and also offer facilities to chat comfortably about anything. It is also the base where the activities and projects take place. “Little did we know the impact Anthony’s death would have on us as a family, but we are so proud to deliver our services in Anthony’s name.” We both get as much out of our respective groups as we put in and have become a very important part of our own mental
