A men’s mental health charity is launching a new initiative, targeting loneliness and anxiety in Merseyside residents.
The charity ‘Mersey Mind Project’ is launching cycling therapy sessions, designed to promote conversation and fitness as a way of battling mental health problems in men.
The first session will be held on Sunday the 5th of July at 11am at Hype Urban Bikes, on Coastal Road, New Brighton.
The next will be on Sunday the 26th of July, then monthly until the 25th of October.
In these sessions, which are free of charge, men will be encouraged to open up about themselves and engage with others at their own pace.
The cycling sessions will be non-competitive, and are designed for people of all abilities and skill levels to take part, with the focus being on conversation.
The cycling therapy initiative is sponsored Cycling UK, and is available to men of all ages.
In a press release, the charity said: “the initiative will create a place where men can connect and get fit at the same time.”
The Cycling Therapy will traverse routes such as the Wirral way, the Chester Canal, and along the Liverpool Loop Line.
Mersey News Live interviewed Chris Guy, a representative and organiser behind the charity, about his hopes for the initiative.
He said: “The majority of men when they come to our first session, they come again the week after.
“We’ve had a few NHS referrals for people who are feeling lonely or are suffering with anxiety, and a few of them have come on our walk and talk sessions just to speak rather than do any of the physical activity.
“We want to build that space where men can feel safe to come to and share their emotions.”
He was also asked about the successes the charity has observed through their other initiatives.
He said: “We’re actually in a seventh week this Sunday, the final, of our Mersey football therapy inclusion tournament, which is ourselves and five other men’s mental health organisations.
“We don’t just want to do football though, even though it is a universally loved language in Merseyside, we wanted to give people other chances to do something else outside of our boot-camp.
“We’re very inclusive, ability doesn’t matter. Whether it’s football, cycling, it’s all gonna be very relaxed, it’s a space for men to open up and talk.”
Here is a clip of an interview with Chris in which he discusses the charity and the options they provide for people.
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Local and national data compiled by the ONS shows that 1 in 8 men across the UK experience common mental health problems like anxiety or depression.
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, you, or somebody on your behalf, can access the NHS mental health helpline by calling 111.
