Wakefield's men's mental health group Blokes United celebrates first anniversary

Blokes United was set up by Hull vicar, Phil Lamb, in 2015 in Hornsea, East Yorkshire, as an informal get together for men to chat to one another and discuss some of the issues on their mind.

The Wakefield and District group was set up by Father Lamb and his fellow rugby colleague and co-owner of M.M Building and Landscapes, Johnny Morgan, from Outwood, last year.

Mr Morgan established the group in Wakefield after experiencing depression following knee replacement surgery that put him out of action from his beloved sport.

He said: “I am an ex-rugby player and I had a lot of trouble with depression after getting my knees replaced.

"I coach Phil’s rugby team and so I reached out to him and started going to his meetings.

"I really benefited from them and saw how people changed from attending the meetings and so a year ago we decided to launch a group closer to home in Wakefield.

"We now have between six and nine men coming every Monday.

"We’ve not looked back. We’re trying to break the stigma of depression and I think we’ve saved two or three men from suicide just from talking to them. We also have a WhatsApp group so we can talk online.”

The group meets at Outwood Parish Church, Wakefield, every Monday from 7.30pm to 9pm.

And it is not just for people suffering from mental health issues but also alcohol and drug dependency.

Father Lamb added: The group is a place where lads can come together to talk and support each other.

"We don’t sit around in a circle and introduce ourselves and say ‘I’m Phil Lamb and I'm depressed’, rather it is more of a dressing room mentality where we bounce off each other and have a bit of banter.

"There is no pressure to speak and you can contribute as much or as little as you’d like. We’re a safe group that people can anonymously attend.”

For more information, contact Johnny via email at [email protected]

Outwood Parish Church is on Leeds Road, Outwood, WF1 2DT.