Last week, something pretty special happened. Mandem Meetup was named Project of the Year at the National Men and Boys Conference by the Association for Male Health and Wellbeing.
It's the organisation's fifth annual awards, recognising projects across the country that are doing meaningful work to improve men's health and wellbeing. To be chosen among so many incredible initiatives feels surreal, if we're being honest.
Awards are nice, don't get us wrong. But what this really represents is validation for an approach that a lot of people doubted would work.
Free interventions. No barriers to entry. No referrals needed. Just turn up.
When we started saying that men's mental health support needed to look different, that it needed to be accessible, community-led, and built around connection rather than clinical settings, not everyone was convinced. But the Mandem showed up. Week after week. Walk after walk. Talk after talk.
And now we're here. Over 2,200 interventions attended. Men from all backgrounds, all walks of life, finding what they need in this community. Some come for the walks, some for the talks, some for the training sessions. Some come once, some become regulars. All of them matter.
This award doesn't belong on a shelf in an office. It belongs to the volunteers who give their time every week. The facilitators who hold space for difficult conversations. The men who've trusted us with their stories. The supporters who've donated, shared our work, or simply told a mate about us.
Every person who's played a part in Mandem Meetup has contributed to this moment.
83% of rough sleepers are male. Three quarters of suicides are men. Men are dying younger and living with poorer health for longer.
These aren't just statistics. They're our brothers, our mates, our colleagues, our family members.
The National Men's Health Strategy that just launched recognises what we've been saying for years. Men need support that meets them where they're at. They need spaces that feel safe, not clinical. They need connection, not just conversation.
That's what we've built here. And this award is recognition that it's working.
We're not slowing down. This Saturday, we're running our 5th annual Sleepout in Manchester and Wolverhampton, raising funds and awareness for men experiencing homelessness. We're actively contributing to the National Men's Health Strategy. We're expanding our interventions and reaching more men who need support.
The work continues because it has to. There are still too many men struggling in silence. Too many lads who don't know where to turn. Too many brothers who think they have to deal with everything alone.
So yeah, we're celebrating this win. But we're also getting back to work.
Because at the end of the day, awards are great. But what really matters is the man who turns up to his first walk feeling lost and leaves feeling a bit lighter. The lad who opens up for the first time in years. The brother who realises he's not alone.
That's what this is all about.
Come as you are, you're welcome here.
