Andy's Man Club in Barnet
Barnet has been chosen as home to the first Andy’s Man Club in London and the Southeast, supporting working age men to talk about their mental health.
Andy’s Man Club will host its first London event a month today, on 28 March, in Barnet at the Meritage Centre in Hendon and is part of a wider suicide prevention campaign led by Barnet Council.
In the UK suicide is the leading cause of death in men under the age of 49. Men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide and one of the main reasons is that men are less likely to talk about their mental health and ask for help.
Oliver Vikse Project Development Champion, Andy’s Man Club, said: "When we had our first meeting of Andy’s Man Club back in 2016, nobody anticipated that six years later we'd be a nationwide charity with a full staff team and over 500 volunteers onboard.
“The most important next step in our development is undoubtedly making inroads into London and the M25 corridor and the support of Barnet Council has been invaluable in assisting us with this.
“It is extremely fitting that Barnet will be our first branch of Andy’s Man Club in close proximity to the capital and we can't wait to bring our service to the men of Barnet!"
As part of Barnet’s suicide prevention campaign, the council is working with industries with the highest proportion of male employees, online and face to face, and have been promoting the Stay Alive app and Zero Suicide Alliance online training. Barnet wants to encourage men to talk openly about their mental health problems, seek help and where possible to support other men, friends, and family.
Dr Tamara Djuretic, Public Health Director said: “we want to support men to talk openly, freely and easily about their mental health problems, like they talk about their physical problems.
“Suicide is complex and there is no single explanation for why people die by suicide. Whatever the cause, there is help available to keep people safe. We are really excited to be the first borough in London to make Andy’s Man Club available to men, it is the start of really important conversations and a joint journey to prevent suicide in men.”
For more information and to join email info@andysmanclub.co.uk