Local MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency, Fiona Hyslop, has met with Andrew Beattie and Dean Burne form the Broxburn Branch of Andy’s Man Club to hear more about the charity. Andy’s Man Club is a free to attend peer-to-peer suicide prevention charity for any man over 18. They provide a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space for men to talk. There is no need to book or be referred to. It’s s free walk in service. Each branch across Scotland and the UK meets on a Monday evening at 7pm, and is used weekly by over 4500 men, and an army of 900+ facilitators. There are currently branches in Broxburn, Bathgate, Armadale and two in Livingston. Andrew and Dean are hoping to open another one in Linlithgow.
Following the meeting, Fiona said,
“It was great to meet Andrew and Dean from Andy’s Man Club Broxburn Branch last week to hear about the vital and important work they and the charity do – Andy’s Man Club is an opportunity for men to come together to talk about mental health issues, the sessions are free to attend and there are branches across the country.
“Despite the progress made over the last decade, in 2020, SAMH reported that two people still die by suicide every day in Scotland, with Men being three times more likely to die by suicide than women.
“There is no need to book to attend an Andy’s Man Club session, you don’t need to give your name or any details, and you don’t have to speak if you don’t feel up to it. Many men attend just to listen. I would urge any men who feel they want to connect with others in a similar situation to head along to one of their Monday evening meetings.”
To find your nearest group, join their mailing list or find out more about local events click on the link below;
https://linktr.ee/andysmanclub
If you are in urgent need of support please contact the emergency services. If you need someone to speak with before attending one of our sessions please call the Samaritans on 116 123 or text SHOUT to 85258 for dedicated text support.
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Further Info:
In mid-2016, nine men met in a small room in the stereotypical Yorkshire town of Halifax with a simple aim of talking through their issues and helping each other deal with their mental health. All in attendance were agreed there was a magic in that room that had to be shared. This was the start of a movement that has grown faster than anyone first involved could have ever imagined. Fast forward 7 years and ANDYSMANCLUB now has groups at over 200 locations across three countries of the UK.
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 50, with male mental health surrounded by well-ingrained cultural stigma in the UK.
Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler are Andy’s Mum and Brother-in-Law, together they 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 nationwide and are completely volunteer-led, with the vast majority of group facilitators having first interacted with ANDYSMANCLUB when they came through the door as a service user.
With a service used on a weekly basis by over 4500 men, and an army of 900+ facilitators, the movement is always continuing to grow on a week-by-week basis.