Dad-of-two who tried to take own life twice opens up as ANDYSMANCLUB comes to Redcar

A charity which helps men who are struggling with their mental health is launching a new group in the North-east.

ANDYSMANCLUB holds weekly meetings in nearly 250 locations across the UK but only 10 are in this region, which has the highest rate of male suicide in England. Until now, Teesside – which is thought to have the biggest problem in the North East – only had groups in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Whitby.

But that changes later this month when ANDYSMANCLUB arrives in Redcar. The charity had been looking at the town for a long time but the impetus for the new group started in May with a talk at the Wilton Centre by its area lead Michael Chapplow.

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It had been organised by the centre’s guest experience host Lesley Lince, whose son Matt Heap was in the audience. The 36-year-old father-of-two, who was a manager at Sabic and now runs his own business, tried to take his own life on two occasions.

“I think I’d probably been suffering for a long time but I was still functional,” he said. “I didn’t recognise or accept that there was anything going on. I was just going about my daily life probably causing problems to others around me who were able to see there was something wrong.”

He has been training with ANDYSMANCLUB over the past seven months and will be the facilitator at the new group in Redcar. The first meeting will be on January 20 and it will meet every Monday, except Bank Holidays, at the Redcar Coast Family Hub in Rainbow Lane from 7-9pm.

All men over the age of 18 are welcome and the charity also runs an online session at the same time for anybody unable to attend. Matt said an ANDYSMANSCLUB in Redcar is 'desperately needed' and he will continue to share his story.

“I want to highlight that there is hope, given the right opportunity and meeting the right people," he said. "I imagine there’s as many positive outcomes as negative – but we rarely see that.”

The charity was set up nine years ago after 23-year-old Andrew Roberts, from West Yorkshire, took his own life and aims to end the stigma surrounding men’s mental health, helping them through the power of conversation. Michael Chapplow said: “I am so grateful for the opportunity to speak at the Wilton Centre and meet Matt who, I know, is going to help make such a positive difference to the lives of men in Redcar.”

He added: “We know from our experience over nearly 10 years that opening up about your problems does help, but I still think – compared to women – men struggle to get things off their chest. That’s where we can help.”