Mental Health support for men in the community
The Pitch
Problem statement
Our project would support males with lived mental health issues to talk about their issues and participate in sport / exercise, which both have a proven benefit for individuals mental health. Traditionally men are reluctant to talk about or discuss mental health issues, but by talking about it and sharing experiences it can help peoples attitude and promote positive feelings. Time to Change, a national Mental Health charity say that 1 in 4 people will have lived mental health issues in their lifetime. By offering weekly football sessions and fortnightly support groups we would give men the local area a chance to talk about their feelings and increase their fitness levels.
Solution
The funding would be 2 fold 1. The hire of a football pitch on a weekly basis for matches and training sessions. The impact of this would be to encourage more men with mental health issues to participate and gain fitness and confidence through the participation in the sport. 2. The use of a room for a peer led talk and support group for men, with a range of topics and guest speakers. The impact of this would be to get more men to talk about their mental health issues in a safe and supportive environment. This would lead to a lowering of social isolation, increased self confidence and a reduction in stress and depression through shared ideas.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
Beeston Community Resource CIO (BCR) is and existing charity that supports mental health in the community, in the greater Nottingham area. We have been running support groups and 1-1 sessions at Middle Street Resource Centre (MSRC) for the last 8 years since we took over the running of MSRC in April 2015. We employ 3 mental heath support workers a trained councillor. We support a wide range of peer led groups within the centre covering, music, walking, craft, relaxation, hearing voices, creative writing and feeling better, amongst many others. A wide range of volunteering opportunities, in the café, reception and garden, also helps peoples self confidence and employability skills
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Football pitch hire , 1 per week for 1 year @£150 per month | £1,800 |
| Room hire for monthly 2 hr meetings @ £17 per hour | £816 |
| Volunteer costs, transport for football and guest speakers | £384 |
Beneficiaries
50 people
Who will benefit
Expected impact
The people who participate in the project will be impacted in a range of ways; 1. Lowering social isolation by taking part in team and groups activities 2. Increasing self confidence by increasing skill levels 3. Decreasing stress and depression by talking about issues and not feeling alone with them 4. Increasing fitness levels for the participants in the football by organised games and training sessions 5. Volunteering opportunities for the football and support group sessions, we would encourage these to be peer led which ultimately would lead to increased employability skills 6. A lowering of dependency for participants to rely on local statutory services such as GP's, local mental health crisis team and A and E at local hospitals. All these would be measured by a before, during and after survey of the participants, to see hoWe have been running they feel the project has helped them as individuals and part of the local society.
Track record
We have been managing MSRC as a centre "Supporting Mental Health in the Community" since April 2015. When we first started we were attracting 1500 visits per month, by the start of the pandemic lock down in 2020 this had increased to 4500 visits per month. The number of support groups under the "MindSet" banner has increased though the years mainly following suggestions from service users, with recently a music appreciation and dungeon and dragons group being set up. Active activities such as gardening and the 2 walking groups have always been well supported, with the local walking groups often attracting more than 20 participants and the peak walking group filling our minibus each week. These activities are vital for peoples mental health giving them a chance to socialise and build on their social skills as well as improving their team participation and sharing experiences.