On Saturday 25th May we had the first outing for our Men’s Group as part of our health and well-being project. Last year during our celebration of the Coronation of King Charles, we found that after COVID many people have adopted social isolation and statistics show that men are less likely to talk to others about their feelings and suffer in silence. 

We felt it was important to tackle this and brought together a diverse group of men for a relaxing day and drove to Hebden Market Place to learn about the history of the 550 year old bridge and enjoyed the beautiful countryside including Black Stones Reservoir, Energy Sources of the Wind Turbines and Reservoirs with a stop by the river for lunch.

During lunch we talked about last year’s Coronation of King Charles and had a discussion on the King's decision to make his cancer diagnosis public. The feeling was that any public figure who shares their story is helping others share and that early diagnosis is the key to successful treatments and saving lives.

This led to the importance of Cancer Screening amongst the group, serendipitously the group was approached by Debbie from the Beach Pub, Hollingworth Lake who was fundraising for Macmillan Cancer and we had a discussion about FN4M Cancer Awareness Sessions and exchanged contact details.

Jamil who lives in Trafford joined us to enjoy a social day out and has heard of the work we do within the community and was interested in our Cancer Screening Awareness sessions. He enjoyed meeting new people and reconnecting with others on the day out. Nine men from Khizra Mosque also attended where we will be holding a Cancer Awareness Session for men at the Mosque later in June and will be talking about prostate and bowel Cancer.  The general feeling amongst the group was very positive, they felt uplifted and relaxed, it was a great day of bonding and we have been asked to plan another Men’s Day.

The Men’s Group are currently working on planning further events and will continue to put on events around Greater Manchester to create a safe space for men to come together. If you are interested in getting involved get in touch with Sam@fn4m.org or call 07985 145480

We would like to thank the King’s Coronation Fund for the opportunity to bring together a group of men to increase respect, forge harmony, foster dialogue and reduce loneliness.