A growing men’s mental health support group is set to broaden its reach in South Yorkshire with the launch of a new branch, aiming to help even more individuals in need in 2025.
Andy’s Man Club, a peer-to-peer support organization for men, will open its fifteenth group in South Yorkshire at Conisbrough Community Library in Doncaster on January 27, 2025. The move is part of the charity’s mission to provide safe spaces for men to discuss mental health, with some of the highest attendance rates for its groups seen in this region.
Simon Mayo, area lead for South Yorkshire, expressed his determination to expand further, setting his sights on at least eight more groups to raise awareness about available support for men. “I won’t stop until I can get every guy that’s struggling through the door,” Mayo said, emphasizing the importance of accessible support.
Simon, who resides in Barnsley, first came across Andy’s Man Club four years ago during a challenging period in his life. “If it wasn’t for those guys that walked me in for the first time, I probably wouldn’t be on this earth,” he admitted, reflecting on the profound impact the group had on his own well-being. Since then, Simon has left his career in car sales to work full-time for the charity.
Founded in Halifax in 2016, Andy’s Man Club now holds weekly meet-ups across the UK, with more than 3,000 men participating. The charity’s success, Simon believes, lies in the sense of camaraderie and shared experience men find in the group. “There is still a stigma, but it’s slowly being broken,” he noted, highlighting that men are increasingly open to acknowledging mental health struggles.
In 2024, Andy’s Man Club’s South Yorkshire branches had a total of more than 16,000 attendances, with the group in Manvers among the most well-attended in the country. The organization currently operates five branches in Doncaster, four in Rotherham, and three in both Barnsley and Sheffield, where Simon is focusing on further expansion this year.
For those new to the group, Simon acknowledged that walking through the door for the first time can be intimidating, but he reassured potential attendees that “new faces are always welcomed.” The club fosters a warm, supportive environment, where individuals can find comfort and camaraderie while tackling their mental health challenges.
“It’s just a matter of opening up and getting some stuff off your chest instead of bottling it up,” Simon concluded.
Related topics:
Study Reveals Smoking Reduces Life Expectancy by 17 Minutes for Men, 22 for Women
Black Men at Greater Risk of Dying from Prostate Cancer Due to Health Inequities
Man who waited 12 hours in A&E after coughing up blood says NHS is ‘out of time’
