Issue - meetings

Update by John Lewis, Males Tales

John Lewis, Males Tales, provided the Group with information around the background of Males Tales and their work supporting males with their mental health since the creation of the group in November 2019. John advised that male mental health was a huge issue, with suicide being the biggest killer of males under 45 in Scotland. John noted that support was available through various different avenues, including group peer support, one-to-one peer support and a buddy system. John advised that prior to the first period of lockdown in 2020, more than 50 males had attended Males Tales and during lockdown Zoom meetings had been held with an average attendance of approximately 10-12. John noted that when not in tier 4, the group did have permission to meet face-to-face from Scotland’s Minister for Mental Health.

John provided information around a number of activities undertaken by the group, including the sponsorship of a local football team; the hosting of a Christmas day event to combat loneliness; the launch of a Males Tales website (https://www.malestales.co.uk/) ; early discussions with a submarine service charity around supporting veterans and submariners in the area; and seeking funding to ensure that the group remained sustainable.

John confirmed that a Females Tales group would be launched in the summer, having recruited a number of female volunteers who were undergoing training. John advised that he ensured that he and all peer support workers went above and beyond the basic requirements for training.

John agreed to provide a copy of his presentation for circulation to the Group following the meeting.

Jayne Burnett agreed to send John a link to a paper on effective coping strategies for loneliness adopted by the Banks group following the meeting.

Councillor Paterson thanked John for his presentation and advised that this was a long overdue service. Following a query by Councillor Paterson, John confirmed that anyone who wished to volunteer with the group could get in touch via the website. Councillor Paterson asked about the age range of attendees of the group, John advised that there were attendees between the ages of 17-68, with most attendees in their 30s to mid 40s, however support was available to everyone regardless of their age or background.

Kirsty Moyes encouraged John to consider the Supporting Communities Fund as a potential avenue for funding.

Samantha Stubbs advised that a new pot of funding was becoming available and asked John to get in touch if he was interested in linking in with researchers on the project. Discussion took place around other male mental health support groups across Scotland and John confirmed that he hoped to link up with some of these groups when restrictions allowed.

Councillor Douglas requested clarification as to whether Males Tales would still be operating out of the Drumfork centre when restrictions were eased. John confirmed that the group would continue to operate out of the Drumfork centre and noted that the MOD had been very helpful to them and many of the attendees preferred a location which was outside of the town centre.

Morevain Martin, Garelochhead Station Trust, provided details of a Mindfulness March project which involved a 6 week mindfulness course, noting that this was a free project and she would be happy for this to be open to members of the Males Tales group. Morevain agreed to communicate further details around this to John by e-mail.

John advised that there was a long-term fear around mental health given the current lockdown situation and the potential for people to find it difficult to adapt to a different way of living when restrictions were eased.

Decision

The Helensburgh and Lomond Area Community Planning Group considered and noted the information provided.