Andy's Man Club Limited | |
Abbreviation | AMC |
---|---|
Named after | Andy Roberts [1] |
Formation | 2016 |
Founder | Luke Ambler Elaine Roberts |
Founded at | Halifax |
Type | Limited Charitable Company |
Purpose | Male mental health |
Headquarters | Halifax |
Website | andysmanclub |
Andy's Man Club is a UK charitable organisation that coordinates weekly peer-to-peer support groups for men in the UK. It aims to help and improve mental health in men through self-help peer-to-peer interaction. The charity organises weekly 2-hour group talking sessions at over 200 venues across the UK, led by a trained group member called a facilitator.
It was formed in 2016 by Luke Ambler [2] and his mother-in-law Elaine after his brother-in-law Andy died by suicide. [3] This led them to discover that suicide is the leading cause of death in men under 50 years old in the UK and that in this demographic there is a cultural stigma towards discussing mental health. [4] [5] [6] The first meeting, held in Halifax, was attended by nine men. The charity has since set up groups in towns and cities across the UK and by February 2020 had over 800 men attending every week. [7]
In 2021, it earned the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. [8]
As of March 2024, Andy's Man Club meetings were attended by over 4,500 men across the country; 10% these are new to the meeting. [9]
The charity's slogan is "it's okay to talk" and it describes itself as "A bunch of blokes having a chat over a brew and biscuit". [10] There are over 180 groups across the UK that meet each Monday from 19:00 to 21:00. [11] Each group meeting is led by a volunteer 'group facilitator', who has been trained by the organisation to facilitate each meeting. [12] Upon entry to a group session, free drinks and biscuits are offered to the attendees. [4] The group meeting is arranged around five questions, with each attendee invited, but not obliged, to answer a single question in turn before repeating the process for then next question. [13] The first three questions are always the same: "How has your week been?", "Name something positive from your week?" and "Anything to get off your chest?"; followed by two questions that vary each week and are designed to promote positive discussion. [13]
There are over 180 locations in the UK that have a regular Andy's Man Club meeting:
Other similar organisations [106] have come to exist, some with a local focus and others with a national. [107]
Dunfermline is a city, parish, former Royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, 3 miles (5 km) from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries.
Inverkeithing is a coastal town, parish and historic Royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, on the Firth of Forth, 9.5 miles northwest of Edinburgh city centre and 4 miles south of Dunfermline.
Rosyth is a town and Garden City in Fife, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth.
Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. It is a portmanteau of the Australian-English diminutive word for moustache, "mo", and "November". The Movember Foundation runs the Movember charity event, housed at Movember.com. The goal of Movember is to "change the face of men's health."
Dean Andrew Shiels is a Northern Irish former footballer and current manager of Coleraine. He played for Hibernian, Doncaster Rovers, Kilmarnock, Rangers, Dundalk, FC Edmonton and Dunfermline Athletic, and made 14 full international appearances for Northern Ireland. His father is Kenny Shiels, who was his manager at Kilmarnock.
Rethink Mental Illness Is a British charity that seeks to improve the lives of people severely affected by mental illness through their networks of local groups and services, information and campaigns. Its stated goal is to make sure everyone severely affected by mental illness has a good quality of life.
Kelty Hearts Football Club is a football club based in the village of Kelty in Fife, Scotland. Formed in 1975 and nicknamed the Hearts, the Maroon Machine and the Jambos, they play their home games at New Central Park. Their home colours are maroon shirts, white shorts and maroon socks, while their away colours are typically all blue.
Darren Young is a Scottish football coach and former player, who was most recently the manager of Stirling Albion.
Ben Cockayne is an English former rugby league footballer who usually played as a fullback or on the wing. He is most remembered for his two spells with Hull Kingston Rovers, with whom he won two promotions to the Super League, in 2006 and 2017, respectively. He also played for Hunslet Hawks, Doncaster RLFC, Featherstone Rovers, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and York City Knights.
The Fife derby is a football rivalry that is based in Fife, Scotland. Matches are contested between any two SPFL clubs from Dunfermline Athletic, Raith Rovers, East Fife and Cowdenbeath. As of 2021, a fifth Fife side, Kelty Hearts, entered the SPFL.
Andy Ryan is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Larne in the Irish Premiership.
Suicide is a significant national social issue in the United Kingdom. In 2022 there were 5,642 registered deaths by suicide in England and Wales, equating to an average of 15 suicides per day. 74.1% of suicides in England and Wales in 2022 were males. In Scotland there were 762 probable suicides in 2022, equating to an average of 2 suicides per day. In Northern Ireland there were 203 suicide deaths registered in 2022. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 in the UK.
Andrew Francis Cannon is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for EFL League One club Wrexham.
Douglas Chapman is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. He served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline and West Fife from the 2015 general election until he stood down at the 2024 general election. He served as the SNP's Small Business, Enterprise and Innovation spokesperson whilst in Parliament.
Ryan Dominic Blair is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Scottish League One club Dumbarton.
Kevin O'Hara is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Scottish Championship club Hamilton Academical. O'Hara has previously played for Falkirk, East Fife, Stenhousemuir, Alloa Athletic and Dunfermline Athletic.
Ryan Swain is an award winningEnglish radio presenter, DJ, actor, comedian, motivational speaker, philanthropist, and skateboarder. Swain is known for broadcasting on radio, hosting live events and festivals and for his charity work and fundraising. He is also a qualified coach for Skateboard GB and notable mental health campaigner and advocate for neurodiversity.
James Neale Hanvey is a Scottish nationalist politician who served as the Leader of the Alba Party in the House of Commons from 2021 to 2024, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath from 2019 to 2024.
Tyrhys Dolan is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers.