A bit brave

      Letter to my Choir's Committee. I know it’s early days and the committee has much to plan in the next few months, but I wanted to make a request for the future when we are back to as normal as we are going to be. As you know I suffer from mental health problems but I try to live a normal life and get on with things. I cope well compared to many and I put that down to be able to talk and write about my feelings, as well as my singing. In the past few years, I have attended a group in Wakefield called ‘Andy’s Man Club’ and tried to help others with their problems. The group’s motto is, ‘It’s good to talk.’ There is now an AMC in Pontefract which meets every Monday evening between 7 and 9 pm. AMC was established only five years ago by Luke Ambler and his mother-in-law Elaine after his brother-in-law, Andy, committed suicide. There are now over 50 clubs across the country with the aim of helping young men to cope with their lives. The statistics are appalling since twelve men

  Tomorrow a new Andy’s Man Club opens in Pontefract. It will be the 50 th group and will follow the same successful formula that has allowed this organisation to help so many men, young and old. This amazing charity has expanded beyond all expectations and has provided vital support for men struggling with mental health problems. When allowed during the pandemic, there have been both face-to-face meetings and online meetings for those who need to shield. I have attended both at different times and made new friends because this is what each group provides. Many men have said that the hardest thing was walking through the door or asking to join online. It is easy to understand why this should be so because in our society this is alien to men. We are supposed to be the strong silent ones, and to ask for help is almost unthinkable. Once they’ve become a member, most men say it is the best thing they ever did, since it ended the isolation they felt and put them in touch with people who un