FF2163 - Lancs Mind - Facing Up - Brochure - Final 13.09.18

Fac ng Up
Full Time Report
& Recommendations
for better mental health

Introduction from
Councillor Brian Taylor
Blackburn with Darwen Mental Health Champion
As the Mental Health Champion for
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council,
I am honoured to write an introduction to
this report on the Facing Up men’s project.
Brian Taylor
Executive Member for Public
Health and Adult Social Care
Mental Health Champion for
Blackburn with Darwen BC
Mental health is one of the major challenges
facing Britain now and for the foreseeable future.
Just one significant statistic is that middle-aged
men are the largest group to die from suicide and
East Lancashire has one of the highest rates in
the UK. Anything that can identify and mitigate
these challenges must be welcomed.
The work that this project has done in the
borough to change attitudes, improve awareness
and strengthen local provision for men is of the
up-most importance.
Long may the Champions and stakeholders of the
project continue their outstanding contribution and
commitment to men’s mental health.

Facing Up Contents
Page 4
About us
Page 5
Why We Do It
Page 6
Who accessed Facing Up
Page 7
Peer Support
Page 8
Work Shops
Page 9
Individual Support
Page 10
Volunteers
Page 11-12
Partnership Work
Page 14-18
Final Report Recommendations
3

About Us
The development of Facing Up started back in 2012 at Lancashire
Mind’s Information and Wellbeing project in Blackburn with Darwen,
where it was noted that 70% of the people accessing the service
were men.
The men who accessed frequently spoke about being reluctant to speak out and that it had taken them a long time
to reach out for support and how helpful they found it to speak to other men in similar situations. Working with
the men involved in the project the Facing Up project was developed based on their views to reach men earlier to
improve mental wellbeing.
Following a successful application to the National Lottery Reaching Communities programme,
Facing Up launched with five years funding in October 2013 with the following planned outcomes:
1 Reduce isolation through an
Reduced number of men
increase in men talking and
experiencing mental health
supporting each other’s mental
distress through increased range
health and wellbeing.
of support and coping strategies.
3 Men having increased confidence
Increased self esteem,
and information to seek out and
confidence and interpersonal skills
engage in personal development
of men through active community
opportunities through workshops.
involvement and volunteering.
2
4
The project is aimed at any man above the age of 16 regardless of situation. The project has been run by a
full-time project coordinator and a team of passionate and dedicated volunteers. In the five years of running the
project, Facing Up as reached over 4000 men across all areas of Blackburn with Darwen.
4

Why we do it
Suicide is the single biggest killer of men aged under 45 in the UK,
with 76% of all suicides in 2014 being men (ONS, NISRA, GRO 2014).
Despite this, men are less likely to seek support with only 36% of
referrals to psychological services (IAPT) for men.
Men and woman suicides aged under 45 in the UK, with 76% being men & 24% being woman:
In May 2018 government statistics have
revealed that Blackburn with Darwen has
had the highest number of suicides in East
Lancashire in the last 14 years, with a very
high percentage of these cases men.
Only 30% of men that ended their own lives from the
government statistics in May 2018 seeked help:
The same reports stated that It is known that around 70% of
those ending their own lives will have had no contact with
health or help services. This is where Facing Up steps in…
to increase the chances that men will engage with services
and thus seek support.
Male statistics
Healthy life expectancy at birth (male):
Age
65
60
55
50
57.5 63.3
Difference of
5.8 years
72.5% of men think there is
stigma attached to Mental
Health Issues in men:
27.5%
72.5%
87% of rough sleepers are men:
13%
95% of prisoners are male.
90% have a mental health problem.
5%
5%
45
40
Blackburn
with Darwen
England
87%
90%
Male prisoners with
mental health problems
Male prisoners without
mental health problems
Female prisoners
More than two thirds of drug related deaths occur in men:
70% 30%
Men are nearly
50%
more likely than women
to be detained & treated compulsorily
as psychiatric inpatients.
There are many studies that seek to explain men’s
reluctance to speak out about mental health. These range
from men having behaviours that are ‘hard wired” into
their genetic make-up, through to social influences and
life experiences that diminish the likelihood of seeking
support.
Our local experience shows that the cultural expectations of
local men around being ‘hard’ and ‘not showing weakness’ are
the biggest barriers to them speaking out. The key to making
Facing Up a success has been to recognise these factors and
use constant creative and sometimes unorthodox methods
to ensure the men of Blackburn with Darwen, regardless of
background or cultural attitudes, have the tools and awareness
to keep their mental health on track.
5

Who accessed Facing Up
During its period of delivery, the project has reached over 4000
men, ranging from stressed students to frustrated job seekers
through to millionaire businessmen.
Issues presented range from low level stress all the way to bereavement and everything in-between.
The age range of men has been broad from 16 through to late 80s as figure 1 shows.
The ethnicity profile of men accessing the project to date has also been reflective of the local population, showing the
benefit of engaging men within their communities as shown by figures 2 and 3.
Figure 1
Facing Up age range
Figure 2
Facing Up ethnicity profile
Figure 3
BwD ethnicity profile
Stress levels
80
60
40
20
0
21% 58% 21%
Under 25 25-54 55+
Age
69.2% White
13.4% Indian
12% Pakistani
2% Bangladeshi
1% Other
69.2% White
13.4% Indian
12.2% Pakistani
1.2% Mixed Race
1.1% Other Asian
1% Bangladeshi
0.8% Other
0.6% Black
0.5% Chinese
What we did
Co-produced with local men the project involved
three main activities all underpinned by the Five
Ways to Wellbeing, five daily actions evidenced to
improve wellbeing (New Economics Foundation, 2008).
Activities included peer support groups to build connections, workshops to develop coping tools and individual support to help
men overcome barriers to accessing group or formal support. Alongside this main delivery was Facing Up’s mission is to
change attitudes, drive out stigma and ensure that all barriers to men looking after their mental health are crushed by promoting
men’s mental health through campaigns including social media and radio and TV interviews.
We continued throughout the
project to collect data and
the following outcomes have
been achieved based on the
4000 plus men who came
into contact with us:
0%
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
79%
88%
68%
60%
37%
79% of men feeling more supported
88% of men have increased awareness of coping strategies
68% men report had reduced mental health distress
60% men report increased confidence to engage with personal
development opportunities including seeking further support
37% men engaging in personal development opportunities including
seeking further support
6

Peer Support
Peer support is widely accepted as a great tool for looking
after your mental wellbeing and increasing your resilience and
confidence; however there has been reluctance by men to attend
traditional peer support in the past.
Facing Up addressed this by rebranding peer
support, calling groups ‘Off Loads’, simply
places to get things off your chest. Offloads
have also developed with local men to include
activities such as snooker, table tennis,
curry clubs, gardening, walking football and
computer chats.
Using these activities as a hook means that men
are more likely to attend and whilst at the group
support each other without having the ‘unease’ and
‘awkwardness’ of a traditional talking group. Over
1000 men accessed our Off-Load groups. We set up
12 offload groups in Blackburn with Darwen, all based
within local community assets including libraries, cafes
and community centres.
Peer Support Case Study
Bill, a married man from Blackburn who had worked all his life had recently been
made redundant and being in his late fifties he felt ‘on the scrapheap’.
Bill attended a Facing Up ‘one to one’ at Blackburn Job Centre where we came up with a wellbeing plan together. Part of the
plan was to attend one of our Off-Load groups. After attending for a few months Bill went on to volunteer at the group, helping
with the practical stuff and importantly befriending new members. From this Bill went on to further volunteering opportunities.
Bill
From Blackburn
I would have never gone to a group
before let alone volunteer at one. I was in
a bad place after being made redundant,
at that age you feel worthless and your
confidence is completely gone. I am so
glad that I went along to the group. I
gained new friends and a sense of self
worth came back. As for the volunteering,
it is the best thing I’ve ever done!
7

Workshops
Facing Up workshops were developed for men
who don’t like workshops.
Feedback from the guys in the development team suggested a number of reasons for this from ‘feeling embarrassed’, ‘having
to do stuff in front of others’, ‘nervous of meeting new people’, and ‘it’s like being back at school, I’m not a kid’. Working with
the steering group we developed two conversation based workshops, one based on the Five Ways to Wellbeing to increase
confidence, resilience and mental wellbeing and the second workshop to tackle anger.
With the changes from traditional delivery, 1932 men have attended workshops!
Five Ways to Keep on Track
Using the Five Ways to Wellbeing the workshop challenges
men to look at their lifestyle and implement goals that will
have a positive effect on their mental wellbeing.
Five Tools to a Calmer You
In response to requests for anger management, this
workshop provides simple tools and tips to help men
to manage their anger and keep on track.
Be
Active
Take
Notice
Keep
Learning
Workshop Case Study
Abdul accessed our Five Ways to Wellbeing workshop
when we delivered at Blackburn College University Centre.
“I am not originally from Blackburn and coming here to study meant that I had no friends. The stress of my university work
and having nobody to chill with after can really take its toll. My confidence was gone, and I wanted to leave university it
was that bad” Abdul sustained his new lifestyle choices and became a key member of his cricket team, also helping at the
club. His studies continued successfully, and he went on to pass his degree.
Abdul
From Blackburn
The workshop was awesome, I always
thought that you couldn’t do anything about
your own mental health until this. The tips
I learned were so simple and obvious but
really worked. After attending it inspired me
to join a cricket team where I met new people
who are still my friends today, and I had the
confidence to go the gym and swimming in
the evenings, I’m a different man now.
8

Individual Support
Facing Up’s individual support is delivered in two ways; the first being a
structured wellbeing plan called an MOT and the second a non structured
approach.Which is a confidential non judgemental listening ear that can
be a conduit to getting further support if needed.
The MOT is a wellbeing plan based around The Five Ways to Wellbeing that help people to set goals to carry out activities to
enhance their mental wellbeing. As part of the plan men also review their mental wellbeing to take stock of where they are.
Men who complete the plan are also contacted for a follow up to check in with their goal progress. Goals can be small steps
such as socialising more all the way up to larger goals such as volunteering or going to university.
The average wellbeing
score pre MOT:
The average wellbeing
score post MOT:
31 55
Individual Support Case Study
Darwen man Paul accessed Facing Up after being referred to us by MindsMatter where
he gained support including medication and talking therapies for depression and anxiety
following his large business going bankrupt.
Paul in his own words was “a millionaire with Ferraris and nice holidays but it all went.” This had a tremendously negative
impact on Paul as he saw himself as a “failure” and was “embarrassed to see old friends”. Paul had become withdrawn and
his wellbeing was low as well as his confidence. “I felt shattered, zero confidence, I had never dreamed that my mental health
would ever be at risk but it goes to show it can happen to anyone”. Facing Up worked with Paul on a one to one basis giving
him a listening ear and creating a MOT.
Paul
From Darwen
It is the best thing I have ever done, I love
how you can just get things off your chest
with no agenda, the MOT worked too,
particularly the exercise bit, I’m at the gym
nearly every day, you have made a real
difference to my life and I am nearly back to
where I was before
9

Volunteers
Volunteers are at the heart of Facing Up’s services and without
their time, local knowledge and enthusiasm we wouldn’t be able to
continue the vital work that we do.
Volunteer roles include facilitating peer support and delivering workshops and alongside this main delivery they are also
champions of men’s mental health spreading the positive mental wellbeing message across the borough. Recruiting local men
has been a tremendous success with their invaluable knowledge of our local communities, their position of trust and their
inimitable way they can support their fellow men.
Over 30 men have
volunteered with Facing Up
since 2013, here is a little
more about three of them:
John Gettins is a 52-year-old local man living in the Highercroft area of Blackburn.
John has lived experience of mental health conditions and now manages his mental
wellbeing through being involved in peer support. He accessed Facing Up for a one to
one and showed interest in starting a peer support group which we helped him set up.
John’s passion for his work is incredible and he is making a real positive difference to
the men of the borough and his community. “After having relationship problems a few
years ago and other personal problems I ended up in hospital after taking an overdose.
Thankfully I recovered but my mental health has been an issue since with depression
still affecting me. I am on medication which works but I also help out in my community
which is a tonic in itself” John has run the group for three years and it is still going
today highlighting his dedication and passion for men’s mental health.
Lee Jones approached Facing Up after seeing us at the Blackburn
College Fresher’s Fair where we were promoting men’s mental
health. Lee owned his own successful building firm and had
accessed counselling himself and really benefited from it and
“wanted to give something back”. Lee has facilitated the Hopwood
Court group since its inception and has been a constant positive
presence. His passion and down to earth manner are key to the
groups’ success. Lee went on to be successful at university and is
now a skilled counsellor.
Lee Jones
From Blackburn
I just love doing it,
it is the best thing
I have ever done,
some things in
life aren’t about
money, I get more
out of this than
earning big cash.
Helping to support
other men has
been enormously
beneficial to me in
terms of experience
and also my own
mental health.
John Gettins
From Highercroft,
Blackburn
Kenny Cooper
From Blackburn
Kenny Cooper is a local lad who came through Lancashire Mind’s Wellbeing Coach service after struggling
with depression. An experienced and hardworking engineer by trade his mental health suffered due to
the stresses of work and life. Kenny benefitted enormously from the wellbeing service and it inspired him
to want to go into counselling. Kenny approached the Facing Up Project to ‘give something back’ and to
gain some experience in the field of mental health. The passion, knowledge and experience of Kenny is
phenomenal, and he has made a huge difference to men’s mental health in the area. He has done this by
constantly campaigning and being a champion for the cause. Being involved with Facing Up and the Time to
Change campaign has given Kenny the experience and confidence to pursue his dreams, and he is now at
university studying counselling and volunteering for local projects.
Peer support means
a lot to me as I am
very passionate about
it but the main thing
about this project is
that it is delivered
and attended by
people from the same
background, sharing
tips and experiences
with each other.
My motto is ‘don’t be
ashamed of yourself,
face up, be honest
and seek help just like
I did cause that’s the
only way forward’
Projects like Facing
Up are essential if
we are going to get
men to open up and
get support. Changing
attitudes on a local
level can really make
a difference.
10

Partnership Work
One of the key aspects of ensuring that men have as many
opportunities as possible to access our service is our
partnership work.
We have some fantastic partners who do tremendous work and make a real difference to our community. Working with
partners has helped to embed Facing Up’s ethos and a focus on men’s mental health across the community.
Here are some of the examples of who we work with and where we deliver.
Blackburn with Darwen
Age UK’s statistics show that as men get older
they can start to become socially isolated and
consequently their mental wellbeing can be greatly
affected. With this in mind Facing Up and Age
UK came together to deliver men’s peer support
groups with an emphasis on building social
connections, instilling resilience and raising men’s
mental wellbeing.
Age UK are an invaluable partner who share our passion for
the wellbeing of our community. Aligning our services has seen
us deliver extremely successful Blackburn and Darwen based
peer support groups that are continually very well attended and
constantly receive amazing feedback.
Mark Wood
From Age UK
The Facing Up men’s group which meets weekly
at Hopwood Court continues to go from strength to
strength with an average of 10 men attending each
week. Much of the success of this group is due to our
strong relationship with Lancashire Mind. We have
had such positive feedback from participants and
because we strongly believe the Facing up Project
plays an important role in providing much needed
support to men including those 50+ we have been
pleased to expand our meeting room and activity
equipment. Having the group onsite enables us to
refer in directly and to offer support with staff and
volunteers to ensure the groups sustainability.
11

One of the early issues that came up as we developed Facing Up
was the resistance of young males to reach out for support.
Our feedback has shown that the young men were not recognising poor mental health or were reluctant to speak out.
Even when issues were raised and referrals were made to services there was a high chance of non attendance. To tackle
this problem Facing Up alongside the Safeguarding Team at Blackburn College and University Centre set about creating a
male mental wellbeing package consisting of promotion around mental wellbeing, workshops, a drop-in, and one to one’s all
delivered on site. This has been hugely successful and has seen high participation and attendance.
Francesca Keough
From College Safeguarding team
The project has worked really well, and we know
that working with Facing Up has enabled us to offer
the early help and support to young men before
they get to crisis point. We know that being able to
refer them to the service on site means that they are
much more likely to attend as they are in familiar
surroundings which has been evidenced in the low
amount of DNA’s. Our feedback from the students
has been very positive so we know that we are
offering the right service.
Blackburn & Darwen Job Centre’s
Facing Up delivers
individual support and
also offers workshops
in both of the boroughs
job centres.
We create MOTs and
signpost to wider mental
health services where
more support is needed.
Dawn O Rourke
From Blackburn Job Centre
Looking for work can be a
stressful time and for us to be
able to offer support within the job
centre is a real benefit for the job
seeker. There can be numerous
detrimental effects being out of
work can have including low
self esteem and social isolation.
Having Facing Up on site to help
propose personal development
opportunities that could enhance
the job seekers wellbeing is a real
asset to our organisation.
12

for better mental health
Be thankful for what you are
now, and keep fighting for what
you want to be tomorrow.
13

Final Report Recommendations
One of the early issues that came up as we developed Facing Up
was the resistance of young males to reach out for support.
Gender specific services and approaches have been around a while for women, however male specific services are still
relatively rare. Throughout the project we captured accounts and experiences of men of what they thought of the current
support model and why they are so apprehensive to engage with services or to look after their own health and wellbeing.
These recommendations cover these problems at length; not in an academic way but through real findings and conversations.
Some of the language is direct and is reflective of the true thoughts of local men. This information therefore is vital if any
service or organisation is considering increasing their reach to engage more men.
The recommendations include findings around having true partnership with community and private assets which are an open
door – it highlights that it doesn’t have to be complicated but about simple consistent messages spread through the right people
to the right people.
Since Facing Up’s launch, Blackburn with Darwen has significantly increased its male provision; this was done by the men
accessing Facing Up subsequently having the confidence to go on to get further support, and by services implementing the
strategies we learnt.
Men often have mental health needs that
are distinct from those of women and
which are particularly associated with
the lived experience of being male.
14

Making services simple to engage
All evidence and word of mouth conversations with the men of
Blackburn with Darwen pointed to it being ‘too complicated’ or
‘too much hassle’ to participate in looking after your own mental
wellbeing or accessing support where needed. This section looks
at the solutions to the problems that local men stated.
Recommendation 1
Bring services to male dominated spaces
When Facing Up was in its development stage it was imperative that
we consulted local men to see what they really needed and what
would make them engage with a project such as ours.
This led us to ‘get out there’ and visit male dominated spaces such as pubs and working
men’s clubs and workplaces e.g. construction sites. We were surprised to hear from the
men that this was the first time any service of any kind (including physical health) had
gone to them. This was a key part of our initial learning and shaped the way the project
developed. With this in mind we successfully engaged men in their own environment. We
also found that delivering in ‘Safe male spaces’ such as the pub and building sites gave us
an increased uptake in numbers engaged, and feedback from activities such as workshops
was significantly better than when delivered in more traditional settings.
Recommendation 2
Create a ‘Man Package’ with partners
Men, we found, tended only to engage with a service if they
were at crisis point or if it was compulsory that they attend an
appointment e.g. at the Job Centre.
This is a great opportunity to ensure messages can be spread and cross referrals
can be made. This is particularly important where mental health is considered as it is
often the lowest priority. Creating strong partnerships with as many local services as
possible is key. Consider working with partners to have a package where services are
intrinsically linked e.g. housing, job seeking and GP’s. We have also found evidence that
having mental health services / messages in tandem with physical or practical services
‘normalises’ and creates parity for looking after your mental health.
15

Recommendation 3
Deliver on site where possible
A great example of this is the work that ensued with the local job
centres. Talks with the job centre staff highlighted a need for an
easy to access mental wellbeing service for them to refer to for
male customers who were needing support.
This need was highlighted due to men not turning up to traditional services when referred. Talking
to the customers we found that they were apprehensive to visit services ‘off site’. Reasons cited
included “I’m not keen going to unfamiliar places for the first time”, “How am I supposed to get
there? I don’t drive” and “I can’t afford to get there”. With this in mind, Facing Up initialised a
contract with the two main job centres’ in the local area to have a weekly presence at each for a
full day. This worked excellently as advisers could point men in our direction immediately or refer
to a familiar accessible place. Delivering in the workplace is also a good idea. We delivered our
workshops in factories and on building sites across the borough ensuring men were exposed to
positive mental health messages without having to change their routines.
Recommendation 4
Rethink referral processes
Our research with local men provided some key insights into why they did not engage with
further support or services even when they had been highlighted to them. We found there were
three key points to making referrals a success.
SPEED
‘Strike whilst the irons hot’ was one mans way of
putting it. This links in to other recommendations
around partnership working. Once a man has
engaged with a service it is at this point where
he is in a place mentally to ‘sort things out’.
This could be attending a smoke cessation
clinic and then being told about other offers
around physical health i.e. gym offers or more
pertinently mental wellbeing provision such as
the ‘Five Ways’ or more serious support offers
such as IAPT.
ANONYMITY (due to existing stigma)
This suggestion can be of particular worry to
traditional services as data etc. needs to be
understandably collated. However, when we
consider how low the figure is of men accessing
any service at all, it needs to be considered.
Facing Up offered a ‘no name needed’ approach
as a ‘Trojan Horse’ to get men to at least get
on the ladder to support. This increased our
engagement and provided a platform for men
just to off-load and get everything off their chests
without having to be part of a process. This also
allowed us to alleviate fears of engaging with
further support.
PAPERWORK
Feedback throughout the project delivery
continually suggested that paperwork was a
barrier to engagement. There were multiple
reasons to this including “I haven’t got time to fill
out loads of stuff, I just need sorting”, “I haven’t
used a pen since school mate, it’s embarrassing
if I can’t write properly”, “Why do they ask you
all these questions? I don’t know where my info
is going”. A suggestion to alleviate this problem is
keeping forms or data collection to only what is
absolutely necessary.
Recommendation 5
Services must be flexible
Men today are more varied in their lifestyles than ever before and
services must recognise this. Working hours, occupations, family roles
and even the nuances of class can be a major issue to a structured
approach to engagement.
Suggestions to solving this problem have appeared through our project delivery. Times of delivery
i.e. drop in’s, one to one’s, information stands, or peer support groups must be held within and
outside of traditional working hours. These deliverables must also (as was covered earlier) be taken
to where men are i.e. pubs or their workplace.
16

Making your service appealing to men
This section is looking at the age-old problem of men’s negative attitude to looking
after themselves. It covers advertising and promotion but more importantly service
design. Feedback we have received suggests that weak or untargeted promotion
does not work and thus men have low awareness of services or health messages
that are relevant for them. How the provision is designed must also be considered
central to the development of services if they are going to appeal.
Recommendation 6
Co production
Having local men involved in developing your service is an
excellent way of ensuring the provision is relevant for its
intended audience.
This gives you an accuracy of product that will reflect the community of delivery and will ensure
interest and take up through acceptance. The key way to make sure your service appeals to men
is to work with them not only in development, but also where possible to deliver the offer.
If the service has been designed and is delivered by blokes I’d be much more
likely to get involved; what do women know about what blokes want.
An example of co-production leading to more successful delivery and uptake is the workshops we developed. Traditional workshops were seen
as long winded and had an image of ‘like being back at school’. The men who helped us shape the workshops and attend them said amongst
other great feedback “Workshops we’ve been on that took all day could have told us all the info in half an hour” and “Make it more of a laugh
and less professional”. The feedback was taken on board and workshops became shorter and snappier. Also implemented was a deliver on
site policy where the workshop was delivered in non-classroom style environments such as workplace canteens, social settings, and even
outdoor spaces. The recommendation here is to have a project designed from the ground up by men and delivered by men in a very male or
neutral environment.
Recommendation 7
Recruit locally for staff and volunteers
Volunteers and champions recruited from within the
local community will act as role models in getting
men to better look after their mental health.
There can also be a trust issue in some areas where
the local men have stated suspicion of the ‘outsider’
particularly if they think they are being patronised by
someone more ‘educated’ or from a ‘posher’ part of
the world who doesn’t know the local community and
the issues they may have faced. There has also been
feedback in some communities concerning men having to
‘respect’ someone if they are going to embrace a service.
17

Recommendation 8
Mainly Marketing
Facing Up’s marketing material was not a tweaked version
of existing resources; it was designed from scratch.
The first things to not be included from traditional resources were ironically the words
‘Mental Health’ and ‘Wellbeing’. Consulting with local men and finding out what works
led us to the following recommendations…
1
4
Use humour where possible even
when conveying serious messages.
This could be humorous but topical
Tweets or promotional material.
Keep it simple and non –
professional. Not all men
know the lingo and acronyms
of professional services.
5
2
Use men’s language. Don’t be afraid
to use local bloke type phrases in
resources and when staff deliver.
Try to create male specific material
as much as possible too. Feedback
suggests gender neutral material is
perceived as aimed at women.
Use champions to carry the message.
Men who are knowledgeable and
passionate about the cause can be
vital to spreading the word.
6
3
Keep messages short and sweet.
Too much information can be
overwhelming and can put off
further engagement.
Use celebrities where possible as role
models to influence men. This could
be simply asking for retweets on
Twitter from local football players.
Recommendation 9
Male targeted delivery
Feedback received throughout our project has
pointed towards the fact that men would not have
bothered to engage with us if the project wasn’t
male specific. When the reasons were explored
the answers were revealing...
Most of my problems that have caused
my mental health issues are because of
women, I don’t trust them anymore.
I don’t like going to a service that is for women as well as blokes.
Services are always in a GP’s or a public building, they are full
of women and kids, there are also toys and women’s magazines
everywhere, that makes me feel really uncomfortable.
Whilst the above may be challenging to read, it reflects the fact there is a gap in male specific delivery and spaces. The recommendation here
is twofold. Firstly, the creation of male specific spaces in existing services. This could be GP surgeries having a male only evening or services
opening Saturday morning for males only. This was seen and worked well in the local children’s centre’s where Facing Up organised male
only Saturday morning Dad’s Club’s where fathers could bring their children in to play and the dads could meet other similar men and support
each other. Secondly, it is advisable to have men at access points where men might engage and the deliverer of your services to be male. This
ensures that you can easier gain trust and respect and make men feel understood.
Recommendation 10
Piggyback national campaigns
Men’s health has never been on the radar as
much as it is now. This is due to the fantastic
work by organisations such as The Men’s
Health Forum, The Movember Foundation and
Time to Change.
Having national campaigns gives our cause a real push. The gravitas
in the media (including social) ensures more men are aware of the
messages around health when campaigns such as ‘Time to Talk’ day
or Movember are on. It is essential to campaign at the same time
and use their resources, which in many cases are free. The various
campaign health weeks and days (such as Men’s Health Week) that
are spread through the year have recently been picked up by the
media and thus are a good chance to get a spot on the radio or TV
to give your service or message some free promotion.
Times are changing; what is
happening in men’s mental
health is really good news. I
see it all the time these days
with football players and male
role models opening up. This is
changing the way we look at the
issue and therefore more blokes
will speak out earlier. I think
it is definitely due to the big
campaigns and the local stuff
that goes on coming together.
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for better mental health
We’re not right good at talking us blokes.
Stress, money, job issues, fed up, alone, angry,
break-ups and the rest. The ‘Facing Up’ project
is here to give you the time and the tools to get
stuff sorted and get back on track.
Being silent isn’t being
strong. Face Up!
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Mental Wellbeing for all
We are more than a mental health charity. We’re a passionate movement leading
the mental wellbeing revolution in Lancashire. We campaign to make your mental
wellbeing a local priority. We help you find the tools you need to stay on track,
and when needed, get back on track. We work across Lancashire to shape a
generation that won’t treat people differently based on their mental health. We
don’t just stop there. It’s big, bold and ambitious. A whole population approach
that works for people at every level of mental health. Together, we can achieve
it. Let’s make Lancashire the beacon county for mental wellbeing.
www.lancashiremind.org.uk
B A D
@lancsmind @lancashiremind Lancashire Mind
80-82 Devonshire Rd, Chorley, PR7 2DR
Charity Number: 1081427 Company Number: 3888655