You can be the man everyone relies on and still need someone yourself.
Men’s mental health is very close to my heart. That is why, this week, I am using Daddies Do Too to put practical support for men in the spotlight. If this helps even one man reach support that keeps him here, it will have been worth doing.
I do not want this to be a week of telling men to talk, then leaving them to work out where, when or how. I want someone reading to come away with a real organisation to explore, a better idea of what attending involves and permission to take a first step without having to explain himself to the internet.
Five days, five different ways to connect
Starting on Tuesday 15 September, a new organisation spotlight will go out at 17:00 UK time each day, finishing on Saturday 19 September. Today’s introduction launches the series.
Tuesday: Andy’s Man Club. Free peer-support groups for men, with practical information about a first meeting.
Wednesday: Mentell. Talking circles built around listening, with no obligation to speak.
Thursday: Men Who Talk. Online support groups for adult men in the UK.
Friday: UK Men’s Sheds. Community and friendship through practical interests, making and mending.
Saturday: Men Walking and Talking. Our final spotlight looks at connection through walking side by side, including options relevant to Warwickshire readers.
These organisations do not all offer the same service. That is the point. A circle of chairs may suit one man; a walk, an online session or a shared practical project may feel more approachable to another. None is a universal answer.
This is our own awareness drive
This is Daddies Do Too’s independent men’s mental health awareness drive. It is not an official national awareness week, and featuring an organisation does not mean it has endorsed us or entered a partnership with us.
We are highlighting support because we believe readers should know what is available. We are not collecting donations on behalf of these organisations. If you want to support their work financially, use their official websites and check the recipient before donating.
You do not have to be a dad
Daddies Do Too is written with fathers in mind, but this series is for men beyond fatherhood too. You do not have to have children, a particular job or a convincing story about what has gone wrong before looking at support.
For dads, the pressure can be awkward to put into words. You can be grateful for your family and exhausted by responsibility. You can be proud of providing for people and frightened about what would happen if work went wrong. You can enjoy being a parent and miss having space to be yourself.
Those are not statements about every father. They are examples of conversations there should be room to have, without somebody immediately turning them into a judgement about how much you love your children.
And your wellbeing matters beyond your usefulness to other people. You deserve care as a person, not just because a family depends on you.
A useful first step is better than a perfect speech
You do not need to announce that you are starting a mental health journey. You could simply read one group’s information, check a meeting time or ask a question about accessibility. You might save a contact number for a day when you need it.
If something sounds suitable but the timing does not work, that does not mean you have failed. Work shifts, caring responsibilities, transport and privacy are real considerations. The series will point towards different formats so there is more than one route to explore.
We will not promise that a walk cures depression, that one conversation saves every life, or that peer support replaces professional treatment. We can take these groups seriously without asking them to be everything.
How to support the drive without putting anyone on the spot
Share the articles if you find them useful. Follow the organisations through their official accounts. Send a link privately to a mate with a simple offer to look at it together.
Please do not publicly tag someone with a comment about his mental health, disclose another person’s experience or treat silence as permission to tell his story. Tagging the organisations helps people find services. Tagging an individual because you think he is struggling is a different matter.
You are welcome to discuss what makes support easier to access, but nobody owes this page a personal disclosure. You do not have to put your most difficult moments in a comment box to take part.
If you need support now
If you cannot keep yourself or someone else safe, call 999 or go to A&E. Do not wait for this series. NHS urgent-help guidance.
Samaritans offers free listening support on 116 123, day or night.
This website, its comments and its social messages are not an emergency service. Please contact appropriate support directly rather than waiting for a reply here.
One week of attention. Support worth knowing about all year.
The aim is simple: make it a little easier for the next man to find somewhere he can be heard.
Follow the five spotlights, share what is useful, and keep the information after this week ends. You may need it yourself. You may quietly pass it to someone else. Neither requires a public explanation.
Illustrative AI-generated image, not a photograph of the organisation or an actual group meeting. This is independent Daddies Do Too editorial coverage, not a partnership or endorsement.
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