Mentell

Mentell is an organisation that aims to provide mental health support for men in Stockport.

Suicide is still the biggest killer of men under 45 and to combat this, they aim to reduce the stigma that is attached to men talking openly about thoughts and feelings.

Mentell provides safe and confidential spaces for men to talk, free from advice and judgement. The charity runs weekly peer to peer support groups that are open to any men (18+) who want to talk, listen and connect with other like-minded men. However, since the coronavirus pandemic occurred, the financial impact on Mentell has been huge. Over 80% of the charity’s projected fundraising has been taken away in a matter of days, which left all expansion plans the group had on the back burner and put the organisation into survival mode.

More devastating was the impact on the men who relied on Mentell every week: because of the lockdown, Mentell was forced to close all support groups down, leaving new and existing members even more isolated and at risk. However, the group applied for the Stockport Local Fund: Community Support, which allowed the charity to reopen the support group by using the funds to help create a safe and reliable service, online. New and existing members can now find a safe space to offload worries and fears in the comfort of their own home.

Recently, the charity has been blown away by demand and receives over 60 new signups per week for the online service, which is a 300% jump in demand post-COVID-19. The volunteer support team are working tirelessly behind the scenes to increase service capacity and may not be able to respond instantly to every request sent in. Mentell said they “would like to thank the Stockport community for their continued support and understanding during these challenging times”.

• Website: www.mentell.org.uk
• Email: talkto@mentell.org.uk