Why Ipswich is leading change: The 12-week pilot "How Can We…?" series for working age men in Suffolk, which launched at the Hope Centre in Ipswich on Tuesday 23 September, aims to become a blueprint for charities nationwide.
A national challenge: Research shows up to nine in ten middle-aged men who die by suicide had contact with frontline services just three months earlier – underlining the urgent need for alternatives. Guests at Suffolk Mind's first-ever 'How Do We…?' event, held at Ipswich Town Football Club last year, heard this stark statistic, which inspired the new "How Can We…?" series.
Finding a new middle ground: Each session focuses on one of the 12 Physical and Emotional Needs which contribute to a person's wellbeing while deliberately avoiding both clinical terminology and what organisers describe as New Age spirituality approaches that have emerged in the sector. The approach provides practical solutions for issues like financial worries, social isolation and bereavement.
Ezra Hewing, Head of Mental Health Education at Suffolk Mind, said: "How Can We…? is all about supporting men who might be dealing with uncomfortable or distressing thoughts that they don't understand or know how to process.
"Financial worries, social isolation, heartbreak after relationships, or even bereavement.
"At the moment what we're seeing is a reliance on medication and pharmaceutical interventions on one side. On the other there are retreats and meditation groups springing up, which frame men's mental health in the language of New Age spirituality.
"How Can We…? will meet men somewhere in the middle and provide a new template for how men's mental health groups could offer support."
Collaboration at the core: Dan Somers founded MANUP? in 2019 following his own experiences with mental ill health, with the charity since becoming the first of its kind to fund groundbreaking research into men's mental health.
He said: "Too many men are falling through the cracks because support either feels too clinical or too detached from real life. That's why MANUP? is funding this pilot.
"We want to prove that when you strip away the jargon and actually listen to men, you can create something that works.
"This is not just about Suffolk, it's about building a model that can be rolled out nationwide so that men everywhere know there's a space that gets them."
Meeting men where they are: Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust Chief Operating Officer Gary O'Hare added: "How Can We…? is a great way of meeting men where they are – in their local communities, on their own terms. We're proud to be part of a local partnership shaped by what men truly need.
"These sessions create a space that's informal, practical, and grounded in real-life challenges."
The details: The sessions run from 10:30-12:00 every Tuesday until 16 December at the Hope Centre in St Margaret's Street.
The bottom line: Ipswich's pilot could redefine how men's mental health is supported – practical, stigma-free, and built for real life. More information on How Can We…? sessions can be found by clicking the events tab on the Suffolk Mind Facebook page.
