A great presentation on site in Lancashire from Andy’s Man Club, who convinced a packed canteen that it’s okay to talk!
Joined by our colleagues from Overbury, our site teams listened to representatives of the men’s mental health charity, Andy’s Man Club, talking about their work in helping to reduce the number of men’s suicides in the UK.
The presentation took place against the backdrop of stark statistics, showing that every two hours in the UK a member of the male population will take their own life. Also of concern is the indication that suicides in the construction industry account for 15% of the national total.
The figures are bleak, but the charity’s message is positive. It has 200 groups nationwide, set up to offer free-to-attend, peer-to-peer support groups, whose aim is to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health through the power of conversation. And as men are notoriously poor at opening up about the problems clouding their lives, Andy’s Man Club’s message is simply: #itsokaytotalk
Ameon’s event organiser, Rob Drinkwater, is an advocate of Andy’s Man Club’s work and has personal experience of the shock of suicide within the family. He is now a member of Ameon’s First Aid Mental Health Team and encourages colleagues to look out for each other.
Rob comments: “At first, some people were sceptical about the creation of the team, but it has had a positive impact, and colleagues now have somewhere to turn if they need advice or simply want to start a conversation.
The response on site for this recent presentation has been really positive, and it has raised awareness of the services available for those who need support, and impressed upon all those attending that, it’s okay to talk, because sharing a problem is the beginning of dealing with it.”
For anyone affected by the issues raised in this post, please use the BHSF app – widely used by Ameon – refer to the help posters displayed in all our site offices or go online to andysmanclub.co.uk to find the local support group nearest to you.
