New city-wide network to tackle men’s health inequalities in Leeds

Features of the new project include free laptops to get isolated men online, shopkeepers offering advice to their male customers, and a new Leeds-based magazine

Co-ordinated by Forum Central, ‘Men’s Health Unlocked’ aims to keep Leeds at the forefront of men’s health nationwide by uniting the different strands of men’s work and creating a city-wide network.

Professor Alan White, Emeritus Professor of Men’s Health at Leeds Beckett University and patron of the national Men’s Health Forum, helped develop the project: “We know that there are many men across Leeds who have significant health and social care needs. Leeds has been at the forefront of developing community outreach services, but demand is now critical. This funding will provide targeted support and guidance to men of all ages at this unprecedented and challenging time.”

In Leeds, men are more likely to get the severe form of COVID-19 and to die from the virus than women, are five times more likely to take their own lives, die an average of three years younger, and are more likely to die prematurely from nearly every major disease that are common both men and women.

To meet the challenge of getting advice, guidance and support to these men, key figures in men’s health will now be able to link up, share ideas and learn about COVID and other health challenges specific to men. This will make their work even more powerful and far-reaching and will help them explore ways to take a more gendered approach to men’s health at all levels.

Project Coordinator, Damian Dawtry, explained: “Men’s Health Unlocked will be a central meeting point for men, and anyone looking to support men in the city. A place where they can get up-to-the minute information on men’s health and activities, a place where they can volunteer to play a role in supporting other men, and a place where their voice can be heard and represented to decision-makers at the highest level.”

Men’s Health Unlocked will also be running three sub-projects over the course of the next few months, designed to address the immediate needs of men in the light of the pandemic and targeting those men who may be experiencing isolation. These will be delivered by three leading charities with extensive experience in supporting men’s health and wellbeing and will be coordinated by Forum Central.

Unlock Online – Barca-Leeds will be providing isolated men with internet-enabled tablets and giving them free online access to help them connect with other people and services. They will able to access vital connections such as men’s clubs or services covering a wide range of areas such as mental health, addiction and money worries.

Unlock Offline – Touchstone will be providing activities for isolated men with a particular focus on reaching men who are from ethnic minorities.

Manbassador Project – The Orion Partnership will be expanding their much acclaimed Manbassador Project, working with local business to point their regular male customers towards services and activities that might help them with their health and wellbeing.

Unlocked Magazine – A regular magazine will be produced giving information, advice and entertainment specifically aimed at men who are isolated. It will also provide important updates on staying safe during the pandemic. It will be shared across the city both online and offline via food banks.

For more information on support available please visit www.menshealthforum.org.uk