‘For Men To Talk’ receives funding as part of the HeadsUp Campaign

For Men To Talk, the peer support group, based from Potton in Bedfordshire, is delighted to confirm that they have received financial funding from The Heads-Up community grant fund which is part of BLMK ICS NHS England Suicide Prevention Funding.

As part of the HeadsUp campaign, For Men To Talk will continue their work, which they have been providing for over two years, to provide a safe and comfortable environment for men to talk about how they are feeling.

HeadsUp is a campaign to help men get happy and stay happy. It has been set up to help men identify and deal with issues that tend to crop up in life from time-to-time. The campaign targets middle aged and older men who have been identified as at higher risk of death by suicide. It is part of local suicide prevention work which aims to reduce suicides across BLMK.

Husband and father, Luke Newman, formed ‘For Men To Talk’ in December 2019, to get men talking about their anxiety, depression and grief. They have physical meetings at ‘Jones’ Café’ in Biggleswade and St Neots Golf Club, weekly virtual meetings via Zoom and a monthly walking event.

“The meetings are very informal”, said Luke. To improve the wellbeing of men, it is important to connect to people. As well as receiving emotional support, it allows men to support others. It helps to build a sense of belonging and self-worth and real friendships have been formed. With the funding received, we can help promote the HeadsUp campaign, whilst giving men the opportunity to talk at 100 meetings planned in 2022.”

“We know that when you are feeling low it can feel very isolating”, said Public Health Practitioner, Emma Bates. “1 in 8 men in England are estimated to have a common mental health condition. With the work that ‘For Men To Talk’ have and will continue to provide, it proves that men are truly not alone by reaching men in a place and in a way that they feel comfortable. We are really pleased to be supporting this valuable work through the HeadsUp community grant”.

‘For Men To Talk’ can be found on their website www.formentotalk.co.uk and social media channels. Luke is also available for any questions on 07709 446480. Further information on Heads Up can be found at https://thisisheads-up.uk/