This Mental Health Awareness week we wanted to highlight some of the great work our partners are doing by using physical activity as a tool to positively impact peoples mental health and wellbeing. We caught up with Steve Barnard from Talk Club to find out more.
Talk Club is a talking and listening club for men, offering talking groups, sports groups and therapy to help keep people mentally fit.
It’s a simple medicine that starts with asking – How are you? Out of 10? By checking in regularly with yourself and other men, Talk Club creates a community that we are all missing in today’s world.
AND IT’S WORKING. Here is what one Talk Club member had to say……
"A group of blokes giving up their time to listen to me. That has to be one of the most uplifting things imaginable. Someone wants to listen to me."
In 2021 528 men attended a Talk Club in North Somerset, Yes that’s 528 men with an Average check IN score of 5.9 and an Average check OUT score of 7.1 just by talking, listening, taking part in activities together.
Try and Start a habit in your work place, sports club at home etc by asking………. How are you out of 10 ?
But… don’t ask if you are not going to LISTEN to the reply.
I’m Always thinking of the 6000+ reported suicides and that around three-quarters of suicides were males.
I want to continue to offer free, safe and confidential places in North Somerset for men to get in to the habit of talking, listening, together with other men and preventing male suicide.
Some of the sessions that are on offer are Talk and Walk, Talk and Run, Talk and Swim, Talk and Football , Talk and Yoga, Talk and Exercise , Talk and Skate.
I am working together with many North Somerset mental health, wellbeing organisations, sports and social clubs, councils, business’s, schools, colleges and universities, of which I am truly grateful for and thank in particular Hornets RFC, YMCA Clevedon, The Beacon Hub Portishead, Nailsea and Backwell RFC and the guys who run the Talk and Swim sessions at Clevedon Lake, Portishead.
You can find out more about what we do, register your interest in being a volunteer, offer a venue, donate, contact me and join our community at Talkclub.org
