19 November 2025

This International Men’s Day, NAPIT are joined by Men’s Suicide Prevention Charity, ANDYSMANCLUB, to discuss men’s mental health and seeking community. International Men’s Day is an opportunity to highlight positive male role models and raise awareness of men’s well-being.

This year’s theme is ‘Celebrating Men and Boys’. Today, November 19th, NAPIT celebrate men and boys speaking out and showcasing vulnerability.

Simon Mayo is a Regional Area Manager at ANDYSMANCLUB. He appeared on the Watts Current Podcast with NAPIT to speak about the men’s suicide prevention charity, which offers free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups across the United Kingdom and online. 

The group was founded following the tragic death by suicide of Andy Roberts, who had shown no outward signs of struggling. In response, his brother-in-law, Luke Ambler, and mother, Elaine Roberts, launched ANDYSMANCLUB in 2016 to create a safe space where men could open up without fear of judgment. 

“It began with just a handful of men meeting in a small room, talking openly about their struggles, and now it’s grown to over [300] clubs across the UK,” said Simon.

“The message is simple - it’s okay to talk. It’s about creating a safe environment where men can share whatever’s on their mind. Every Monday night, men gather to talk. 

“There’s no pressure, no professionals, just guys supporting each other. Sometimes people think they have to bottle things up, but when you walk through the door and talk, you realise you’re not alone.”

The club aims to provide men with a safe space where they feel comfortable talking and open up about their experiences in a room free of judgment. 

Simon continued: “You see men from every walk of life, all ages, tradesmen, office workers, anyone, and once they start talking, you can feel the weight lifting.”

“We’ve had electricians, builders, and all sorts come along; it’s about breaking down the stigma in trades, especially.”

“It’s not about fixing anyone, it’s about listening.”

This messaging is important in tackling the stigma associated with men’s mental health. Men and boys must have someone to talk to. It’s important that tradespeople who might be working alone, have financial pressures or face work overload, can talk to someone about their struggles. 

This International Men’s Day is an opportunity to learn and share how to recognise mental health struggles and what support is available. This year, NAPIT has been fundraising for Samaritans. 

NAPIT have continued to promote the message of opening up and emphasised the importance of mental wellbeing among tradespeople.

Stephen Melton, Commercial and Compliance Director at NAPIT, said: “International Men’s Day is about promoting positive conversations around men and masculinity, and we hope that sharing stories can help men and boys seek help with their mental wellbeing.

“We hope this message reaches NAPIT members, NAPIT staff and all men and boys who need some encouragement to receive support and open up about any challenges they are facing.

“ANDYSMANCLUB provides a great example that being surrounded by support and community makes a positive difference. Looking forward, we hope that more conversations like this can help remove the stigma surrounding mental health for men.”

Listen to part one of ANDYSMANCLUB on the Watts Current Podcast here. 

 Part two will be released on December 3rd.

The Samaritans offer emotional support 24 hours a day, in full confidence. Writing an email can be a calm and safe way to work through what’s on your mind. Samaritans volunteers answer each email that comes through to [email protected]  

It may take several days to receive a reply by email. If you need someone straight away, you can call 116 123 any time, day or night. 

Find A Group here

Read more about the origin story of ANDYSMANCLUB here