A men’s mental health group aimed at ending the stigma around men’s mental health and reducing male suicide almost doubled its reach in Devon last year.

Andy’s Man Club now holds 11 weekly meetings across the region, with a new club soon to start in Buckfastleigh. At the start of 2024 there were six Andy’s Man Clubs in Devon.

Last month, more than 860 men attended the clubs in Devon, with 100 coming for the first time.

During 2024, 8,447 men attended the groups and 995 men attended for the first time.

Andy’s Man Club is a suicide prevention charity offering a comfortable space for men to talk and open up about the issues they are facing in a non-judgmental and non-clinical setting. The groups are free to attend and operate across the UK at 7pm every Monday.

The clubs are designed to be free of pressure, so there is no obligation for men to speak, they are welcome to simply listen if they prefer.

In Devon, groups operate in Newton Abbot, Teignmouth, Okehampton, Torquay, Paignton, Honiton and Plympton and there are two groups in Exeter and two groups in Plymouth.

Andy’s Man Club was set up in 2016 following the death of Andrew Roberts, who sadly took his own life earlier that year at the age of 23. Andy’s family had no idea that he was struggling and, after looking into male suicide and discovering it is the biggest killer of men under the age of 54, decided to set up a group aimed at ending the stigma around men’s mental health.

The first Andy’s Man Club meeting was held in Halifax, Yorkshire.

Andy’s Man’s Club first arrived in Devon in 2018.