With Mental Health Awareness Week drawing to a close, Bristol Rovers fans in need of a space to speak their mind have been urged to join the club’s mental health group.
Bristol Rovers Community Trust has been hosting its branch of Talk Club, a men’s mental fitness movement which hopes to help Gasheads open up about their mental health.
The group meets each Thursday from 7-9pm in the Thatchers Bar at the Mem, and member Jack Newcombe urged Gasheads, regardless of their mental health, to join.
“Talk Club is a men’s mental fitness movement and it was founded in Bristol,” he said. “I found out a bit more and I thought it was a brilliant idea.
“I wanted to bring it to Rovers fans. We’re particularly good at talking about football and our gripes and concerns, but would we go down to the pub and talk about how we’re feeling? Probably not.
“Talk Club is a great vehicle to get men talking about how they’re doing, because suicide is still the biggest killer of men under 45 and a recent statistic is a man takes their life every 90 minutes, so with every game of football a man will have died.
“It really reinforces why a space like Talk Club is really important and I was really buoyed by the support from the community trust and they kindly let us have the Mem to hold our face-to-face sessions.”
The meetings have four rounds, where attendees rate how they feel mentally out of 10, followed by discussions of things people are grateful for and their plans to improve their mental fitness before concluding with a revised score out of 10.
Gasheads can take part in Talk Club by joining the Rovers branch’s Facebook group, or by using this form.
“Every man gets the opportunity to speak and, crucially, be listened to,” Jack added.
“It’s a space for men to speak and be listened to with like-minded people.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re doing really well, or struggling, or indifferent, it’s a space to get stuff off your chest and be listened to.”
