Deeside: Andy’s Man Club launches second support group to meet demand

A men’s suicide prevention charity will launch a new peer-to-peer support group in Deeside.

Already welcoming more than 50 people to its free weekly meetings at the Yellow and Blue Hub in Wrexham, Andy’s Man Club (AMC) has added Coleg Cambria Deeside to its growing list of sites UK-wide.

The organisation has signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the college and will meet at its conference centre on Kelsterton Road, Connah’s Quay, every Monday from 7pm-9pm, beginning on April 22.

Dan Rowe, AMC’s Regional Area Lead for the West of England and Wales, says the partnership will enable them to reach even more men struggling with myriad issues – storms affecting their lives – including anxiety, depression, loss and loneliness, in Flintshire and beyond.

Hailing from Mynydd Isa, he hopes to see the charity grow even stronger in the months ahead, having won a prestigious S4C Dathlu Dewrder (Celebrating Bravery) Award in December for helping break down barriers and remove stigmas around mental health.

“We’ve been in Wrexham for two years and the numbers attending have increased week on week, so to be able to now help more men in the Deeside area is fantastic,” said Dan.

“Andy’s Man Club has over 180 groups nationwide supporting upwards of 4,500 men, yet we only had one meeting place in North Wales to this point, so this is a step in the right direction.

“We are thankful to Coleg Cambria for making their facilities available to us and for their generosity and backing of our vision to have an Andy’s Man Club in every town and city in the UK, where friendships are built and a group of men of different ages, and from different backgrounds, come together in a warm, welcoming environment.

“We want to continue the conversation, to get men talking in a safe space where they feel comfortable opening up and sharing their experiences, in a room free of judgement.”

The MoU reads: “Coleg Cambria is committed to working in partnership to strengthen links with the local community; particularly on projects that directly support our residents and learners – past, present, and future.

“We are in a position to support Andy’s Man Club in their drive to offer free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the UK.”

Cambria’s Chief Executive Yana Williams added: “As a college we have a responsibility to not only our learners but their families, friends and our communities in north east Wales.

“We are pleased to be able to help in some small way and hope anyone experiencing mental health issues gets in touch with Andy’s Man Club, attends a meeting and embraces the incredible work they do in bringing about positive change for men across the country, one conversation at a time.”

On average one man every two hours takes his life in the UK. It’s often said a factor is that men don’t talk. That’s why Andy’s Man Club was born. For more information, visit Andy’s Man Club | #ITSOKAYTOTALK | Andy’s Man Club (andysmanclub.co.uk) and follow the Deeside group on Facebook.