"You never know how far you can climb": How football and talking is helping men from Stoke-on-Trent through hard times
Report by Tania Sangha
A community of men from Stoke-on-Trent have been helping each other in the pandemic through an online forum, football and mental health workshops.
Craig Spillane is the founder of Men Unite, an online support network for men.
He created it in April 2019 after realising that men needed a space to share their stories and to give other men the courage to open up and say how they were really feeling.
It began as a closed group consisting of twenty five members but has grown rapidly.
The group now has sixteen thousand followers from all over the world.
Craig says there are specialist people monitoring the page, to offer advice and guidance at any time of the day.
Craig Spillane explains why he thinks the online forum has helped men with their mental health:
Craig suffered with his own mental health in the past after going to rehab for a drug addiction and going to prison three times.
He says that speaking about his problems helped him get through some of his lowest times, and he wants to continue to inspire others to do the same.
And just before the pandemic he formed a local football group called Men Unite FC, where members of the online support network could meet in person.
He says football has brought like-minded men together in a space where they can exercise, which helps them mentally, as well as a safe space to speak openly about their experiences.
How Men Unite FC has been helping men's mental health:
When football had to stop because of Covid-19 restrictions, Craig set up a mental health hub at Hanley Town Football Club, where up to fifteen of them were allowed to meet for support.
Councillor, Sarah Wilford, has helped to run sessions at the hub, focussing on topics such as bereavement and lockdown isolation.
Men Unite is also funding three free sessions of counseling with Sarah for any of its members.
Sarah says she's seen a huge change in some of the men who have started counseling.
The combination of these methods has proven to help uplift the lives of local men, including Josh Cicatello.
He says he felt suicidal before joining the group and it helped him to realise how many other men were going through the same thoughts and feelings as him.
Josh now has a different outlook on life and is encouraging other men to share their story as it could make a difference to them too.
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