AndysManClub Alton is celebrating its first birthday today.

Since opening its doors on May 13, 2024, it has helped more than 200 men from the local area and beyond with mental health issues and loneliness.

The Alton club is part of a nationwide network of nearly 300 clubs. The facilitators at AndysManClub Alton said they were “extremely proud” of the service they provide.

AndysManClub takes its name from Andrew Roberts, who committed suicide aged 23 in early 2016.

His family had no inkling he was suffering or struggling with life to that extent, and as a result looked deeper into male suicide and men’s mental health.

They discovered suicide was the biggest killer of men aged under 54, and felt male mental health was surrounded by a “well-ingrained cultural stigma” in the UK.

Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler, Andy’s mother and brother-in-law, came up with the idea of AndysManClub, a group where male adults can speak openly about their mental health in a judgement-free and non-clinical environment.

All the groups are led by volunteers, with all the group facilitators having first come into contact with AndysManClub as a user of the service.

AndysManClub began in mid-2016 when nine men met in a small room in Halifax to talk through their issues and help each other with their mental health.

A spokesperson said: “All in attendance agreed there was a magic in that room that had to be shared. This was the start of a movement that has grown faster than anyone first involved could have ever imagined.”

For more information visit www.andysmanclub.co.uk