HUMEN, a UK charity dedicated to fighting the epidemic of male suicide, has announced that it is partnering with The Thornwood Bar as its Glasgow hub for its annual ‘Rise Against Suicide’ campaign.
With 78% of men believing that they should speak more about personal matters amongst each other in a pub setting and 30% admitting that they are worried about their personal lives and futures, the men’s mental health charity calls on Glasgow to come down to The Thornwood Bar on the 4th of December at 10am to raise awareness of men’s mental health.
The Thornwood Bar is one of many pubs from across the country taking part in this initiative, as part of the charity’s partnership with Star Pubs & Bars, HEINEKEN UK and supporters will join forces across the country walking 5,151m to and from the pub, a metre for every man who lost their life to suicide in the last year.
On the day, participants will be encouraged to start with a group walk, led by HUMEN and the local community, to commemorate every life lost in 2022. Once complete, they will return to the The Thornwood Bar and will be encouraged to donate the cost of a typical round to support HUMEN’s work in providing anonymous and preventative spaces for men to talk, via its Mental Health Pub Menu.
Pubs in the following cities are involved in the initiative: London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Manchester, Brighton, Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Southampton.
Pubs are the cornerstone of many communities, and HUMEN aims to encourage dialogue and identify mental health concerns with its pub pilgrimage and new partnership with Star Pubs & Bars, by bringing local communities together to reflect and honour those we have lost.
Men are half as likely to seek out the help and support they need for their mental health, as 14 men take their own lives every day. HUMEN knows that you don’t have to be teetotal to have good mental health and working with pubs is an opportunity to champion healthy relationships with alcohol.
Supporters of the charity include Andrew Scott, Bill Nighy, Danny Cipriani, Emma Rigby, David Gandy, Tom Odell, Ugo Monye to name a few, and this year it hopes to expand this list even more.
Speaking on the event, Marc Ferrier of The Thornwood Bar said, “We completely agree with the sentiment of pubs being an essential part of communities. We see this daily as we welcome groups of people from across the city. We work hard with the team to create a safe place for our guests to socialise, one where they can talk openly about the issues that matter to them. De-stressing is important, but so is opening up to those we trust. When we were asked by Star Pubs & Bars and HUMEN to take part in the nationwide event, we leapt at the chance. We really look forward to the day itself and hope that we can play a part, no matter how big or small, in raising that money and addressing men’s mental health head on next year.”
HUMEN Founder and Actor, River Hawkins added, “We all need friendly spaces to talk, listen and connect. Pubs are the cornerstone of communities, but as our research tells us, they are currently wasted on men – who would seemingly prefer to talk about anything other than their personal trials and tribulations. We truly believe that this type of gathering place can play an important role in addressing suicide and mental health, if we just harness it for good, rather than the traditional ‘drink and forget’ mentality that plagues male social circles.
This is what our partnership with Heineken aims to achieve this December. This is the second year of our Rise Against Suicide and we intend to Rise every year for years to come. Talking openly to friends, family & professionals are essential steps to overcome the hidden issues and barriers in our quest to lower the number of suicides and in turn, lower the number of metres we walk next year.”
Lawson Mountstevens, Managing Director Star Pubs & Bars, HEINEKEN UK, says, “Pubs are an essential part of communities the length and breadth of the UK, offering warm and welcoming environments for men to come together. As somewhere men already feel at home, they are the ideal place in which to share their feelings over a beer or non-alcoholic beverage. As a company we champion mental health among our colleagues, licensees and their teams and so we are fully behind this important initiative.”
If you can’t attend on that date, donations can still be made to help the team reach the £500,000 target via the event’s Just Giving page here.
To join in on Sunday 4th of December at 10am, register here.
The research by HUMEN found :
- 85% percent of men in the UK won’t share how they feel over a pint with friends.
- Despite pubs being named as one of their favourite places to socialise and destress, men are not talking but landlords are calling for this to change.
- On average men in Glasgow spend four hours a week at the pub, discussing sport and telling jokes, but only 15% would talk about how they really feel.
- 78% of men in the UK have admitted to needing mental health support – as men are half as likely to seek out the help and support they need