
We supported the Andy’s Man Club organisation to set up its most northerly branch in Berwick – and help improve the mental health of men in the town.
The Andy’s Man Club organisation runs groups for men that give them a chance to speak about their worries, stresses and frustrations and to encourage men to be open about their mental health.
Our dedicated support worker Jaki Duffy worked with men in the town to set up the group – which is having a big impact on their mental health.
John’s story
John Ritchie played an integral role in launching the men’s mental health support group.
John used to be a bus driver before a medical crisis saw him having his leg amputated in 2017.
He says: “I used to be a bus driver. But I got an infection in my big toe – and from then on I was in the Freeman 14 weeks which resulted in four operations. It started off with them having to remove toes to take the disease out of my foot – but I ended up being told there was nothing else they could do. I also had sepsis and MRSA.
“The night before I lost my leg was probably the worst of my life. But the next day I began thinking positively. I could have gone the other way, but I thought ‘what the hell, life is what it is, you have to get one with it’. And one way of doing that is helping others.
“Being given the opportunity with Andy’s Man Club supports me in turning the negatives in my life into positives and I am really pleased to have this opportunity to facilitate a much needed talking group for men. I’ll be learning all the time from other people’s difficulties and if anything I say or do helps just one person then it’s worthwhile.”I got involved through Jaki from Rise. She messaged me asking if it was something I’d be interested in helping with and to be honest I’ve been looking for a way to get involved in something along these lines since I lost my leg. That meant I couldn’t drive a bus and I felt helping in some way a bit like counselling would be a positive step – and I thought I’d give it a shot.
“It’s been really good. We started with about five men coming, now in the last three or so weeks we’ve been averaging ten or so – and it’s not the same ten people each week either. It’s not a counselling service. It’s peer support and it’s to help people get things off their chest.
“When you’re holding the ball you’re the only one who can speak. You don’t need to worry about being interrupted Everyone give a brief introduction about why they’ve come.”
Read the full story in the Newcastle Chronicle