Community

Why I Support Menfulness

Published 1 March 2026 · 4 min read

I'm an electrician. I spend my days solving practical problems — dodgy wiring, tripping breakers, installations that need to work first time. But there's one problem I can't fix with a multimeter, and it's one that affects more people in my industry than most would like to admit.

Men's mental health.

The trades aren't great at talking

If you work in the trades, you'll know the culture. You're expected to crack on. Get the job done. Don't make a fuss. And most of the time, that attitude serves you well — it's how things get built and fixed and kept running. But it's also the reason a lot of blokes don't say anything when things aren't right at home, or in their head, or in their life.

The stats back this up. Three-quarters of all suicides in the UK are men. Only 36% of NHS talking therapy referrals are for men. Men are nearly three times more likely to become dependent on alcohol. These aren't abstract numbers — they're fathers, brothers, colleagues, mates. People you'd see on site every day and never know they were struggling.

What Menfulness does

Menfulness is a York-based charity run by five blokes who've been through it themselves. They set it up in 2022 because they knew from personal experience that having someone to talk to — even casually, over a game of football or a walk along the river — can be the difference between coping and not coping.

They run weekly and monthly events across York: walk and talk sessions, football, running, boxing, board game nights, coffee afternoons, and dedicated talking groups. Everything is informal, relaxed, and open to any man (including trans men and non-binary people). There's no pressure to share your life story — you can just turn up, kick a ball around, and see how it feels.

That's what makes them different. It's not a clinical setting with a clipboard and a waiting list. It's a bunch of blokes creating the space that should have always existed — somewhere you can say "I'm not doing great" without anyone batting an eyelid.

Why it matters to me

I run a one-man business. I'm on the road every day, in people's homes, solving problems. It's rewarding work, but it can also be isolating. There's no team around the kettle at 10am. No one to offload to after a tough day. And I know plenty of tradesmen in the same boat — self-employed, working alone, putting on a brave face because that's what you do.

Supporting Menfulness is my way of saying that it's okay to not be okay. It's not weak to speak up. And if even one person reads this and checks them out, that's worth more than any blog post about wiring regulations.

How you can help

You don't have to be in crisis to get involved. Menfulness welcomes anyone who just wants to be part of a supportive community. Here's how:

Turn up to an event. Check their Meetup page for what's on this week. Football, walking, board games — there's something for everyone.

Share the word. If you know someone who might benefit, send them a link. Sometimes that nudge from a mate is all it takes.

Follow them. They're active on social media and their content is worth seeing — real stories from real men in York.

Donate. They're a registered charity (number 1199085) and every bit helps them keep running events and offering free counselling.

Visit menfulness.org to find out more.