A vital men's mental health charity is set to expand into Morecambe with new sessions at the football club.
ANDYSMANCLUB has free support groups nationwide, running every Monday from 7pm except bank holidays.
Thousands of men use the sessions every week, and the aim is to provide men with a safe space where they feel comfortable to talk and open up about their experiences in a room free of judgment.
New sessions are set to start at Morecambe Football Club from Monday, October 13.
LISTEN to Antony Valori from ANDYSMANCLUB talking about the charity.
Content warning: the interview discusses suicidal feelings.
"I went along and it saved my life," said Antony, talking to Beyond Radio.
"I wanted to give back and help more men, who were in my position, and so I became a facilitator and then got an offer to join the charity as a staff member.
"I will open as many clubs as I possibly can, to help as many men as I possibly can. I know how much it helped me.
"Everyone will support you and not judge you. You can talk about whatever you like. You will become part of a family and a community, you will make friendships. It's more like a brotherhood."
ANDYSMANCLUB takes its name from Andrew Roberts, a man who sadly took his own life aged 23 in early 2016.
Andy’s family had no inkling that he was suffering or struggling to the extent that he would do this, and as a result looked deeper into male suicide and men’s mental health.
They soon discovered that male suicide is the biggest killer of men under 54, with male mental health surrounded by well-ingrained cultural stigma in the UK.
Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler, Andy’s mum and brother-in-law, together came up with the idea of ANDYSMANCLUB, a group where men aged 18 and above can speak openly about their mental health in a judgment-free, non-clinical environment.
Groups now operate across the country and are completely volunteer-led, with all group facilitators having first interacted with ANDYSMANCLUB when they came through the door as a service user.
The sessions in Morecambe are supported by the Morecambe FC Community Foundation.
Lancaster rock band Massive Wagons are also supporters of ANDYSMANCLUB.
Find out more about ANDYSMANCLUB HERE.
*If you need someone to talk to, call Samaritans on 116 123, at any time. Calls are free.
More information HERE.
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