Twelve men from a small Co Down town have posed in a 2022 calendar to support men’s mental health.
From punk legends to politicians, cold water swimmers to councillors - a huge range of men from the Newcastle and Castlewellan communities have got involved to help the cause.
Dawn Regan, a 50-year-old carer who lives in the town, was the brains behind the calendar, which will raise funds for local mental health charity MyMy (Mind Your Mate and Yourself).
Throughout the Covid-19 lockdowns she has become aware that while face-to-face GP appointments have been limited and mental health support harder to reach, the demand for such services has only become higher.
She told Belfast Live: “I was in that position, looking for helpline numbers and not knowing where to go. I don’t want anyone else to be in that position.”
Dawn also lost a friend six years ago to suicide around this time of year.
“It’s taken me six years to get over it,” she said, “But it’s turning the pain into power, isn’t it?”
Fundraisers have died down since the height of the lockdowns last year. So, Dawn thought now was a good time to get well-known men in the community together to take part in the calendar.
Or “the calendar boys,” as she referred to them, laughing.
Dawn wanted to make sure the calendar included men from all walks of life, to show how anyone can struggle with their mental health.
“We wanted to keep it cross-community,” she said, “mental health doesn’t differentiate.”
One of those men is PD savage, a local CrossFit star who was photographed for the October page.
Posting on social media, he said he was thankful that men's mental health is becoming more talked about.
The CrossFit star said: “The old stigma that ‘men need to be men, bottle things up and never talk about their emotions’ is slowly dwindling.”
“There is still much more that can be done to reduce the old stigma to create openness and support in this critical area.”
The calendar will include a selection of pictures of the men (modestly) posing, as well as a number of helplines, including MyMy, Lifeline, Samaritans and PIPS.
Dawn said: “Hopefully we’re raising the profile for the young men to say, ‘The help is there, you’ve just got to reach your hand out and you will get it.’”
All proceeds will go to MyMy. If you’re purchasing a calendar ( £8 + £2 postage), make sure to include your name and address in the details. You can donate via this link.
The men in the calendar are: January - Raph O’Connor and a group from the Search And Rescue Dog Association (Ireland North), February - Petesy Burns, punk musician from Belfast band The Outcasts and Tai Chi instructor, March - P.J. McGee, retired headteacher and Co Down coaching legend, April - Sansao Dumange Junior, local community broadcaster and musician, May - Paul Tumelty, Bass Coffee manager, June - Corky River, cold water swimming enthusiast, July - Cllr Alan Lewis, Ulster Unionist councillor, August - Charlie Megennis, Bass Coffee cafe owner, September - South Down MLA Colin McGrath, October - PD savage, cross-fit star, November - Roger Hawthorn, hill walker, December - Ian McSweeney, photographer who took some of the photos
Special thanks also go to Mackle Petfoods for a very generous donation and Stephen Rafferty, whose song, ‘Blinded by Darkness’ is in the calendar preview.
