Today (Monday 12 May) marks the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, and this year’s theme is ‘community’. How can society, as a whole, create the kind of supportive networks that encourage good mental health?
That’s a huge question, one that invites many different answers. But here at Old Trafford, one option is already available: Andy’s Man Club, a peer-to-peer group that provides a space for local men to support each other. Sessions run every Monday, and lead facilitator Phil Lodge is keen to get the message out there: everyone is welcome.
“Mental illness can often feel quite lonely at times,”Phil told our matchday programme, United Review, “and AMC provides that reassurance that you’re not on your own, that it really is okay to talk.
“While we’ve all got different types of mental health, we come together from the surrounding community with the same goal: to talk about our issues and to support our peers. That sums up what Andy’s Man Club is all about, really.”
The men that typically attend will split up into three or four groups to discuss their weeks – the positives and the struggles – with new people regularly added.
“I was in a bad way when I went down there,”admits Lodge, “but everyone is so supportive. What I tend to find is that, if I do feel quite bad, helping other people inadvertently helps me out.
“There’s 35 or 40 other blokes there, and you’re likely to find common ground with someone and something that resonates, and it’s that support that drives everyone to get better.”
There’s also a confidential Facebook group for the Old Trafford group, which is popular among members. And if you don’t live in the boroughs near our stadium, why not visit the Andy’s Man Club website, where you can enter your postcode to find the nearest group to you? There are more than 200 across the United Kingdom.
Don’t suffer alone, please reach out for support.
Don’t suffer alone, please reach out for support.
For more details, visit andysmanclub.co.uk