Sunderland and Newcastle’s intense rivalry is being set aside today, as they send an important message to fellow football fans on World Mental Health Day – mental health has no team and no colours.
Brought together byย Sunderland AFCโs Foundation of Light and Newcastle United Foundation,ย Mackems and Geordiesย alike are being encouraged to start potentially life-saving conversations with family and friends,ย or to take their own steps to shareย their mental wellbeingย with others.
This yearโs theme forย World Mental Health Dayย is โmental health for allโ,ย soย the Foundation of Light and Newcastle United Foundation have released aย powerful and compellingย video featuringย the stories of two fansย who have received support throughย the clubโs official charities, and as part of the Be A Game Changer campaign.
Andrewย a life-longย Sunderlandย fan,ย speaks about howย a difficult, and heart-breaking, situation was theย catalystย forย himย toย seek helpย and open-up about how he was feeling.ย Theย life-changing supportย he neededย came when he visited theย Match Day Mental Health Hub at the Beacon of Light โ a free service created by Sunderland AFC supporter group, Branch Liaison Council, and supported by the Foundation of Light โ which provides fans access to free trained counsellors from Washington Mind.
Andrewย a diehardย Newcastleย fan,ย tells of how heย struggled with poor mental health for a number of years as a result of anxiety relating to his weight. Last year he tried to take his own life but found support through Newcastle United Foundation.
Liz Barton-Jones, Foundation of Lightโs Head of Health and Wellbeing, said: โWe know that there are so many people out there struggling in silence;ย particularly men who are often led to believe sharing their feelings is โnot what men doโ.
We hope the powerful video andย the fans storiesย gets people talking โ in Sunderland and Newcastle โ as we know all it takes to potentially save a life,ย is to start that first conversation. If we can encourage just one fan to open up itโs been a success
โOur Be A Game Changer campaign is there to let people know they will be listened toย and supported,ย and itโs okay to not be okay.”
Funded by the North East and North Cumbria Suicide Prevention Network, the Be A Game Changer mental health awareness campaignย aims toย reduce the regionโs suicide rates among men aged 20 to 49.ย In Januaryย this year, both charities joined forcesย to makeย a combined commitment to promote positive mental health to thousands of supporters visiting St. Jamesโ Park and the Stadium of Light through the campaign.
Ashley Lowe, Health and Wellbeing Manager at Newcastle United Foundation, said: โOn World Mental Health Day, we are sharing an important and powerful message from Newcastle and Sunderland supporters themselves,ย who have come together to tell others that mental health is something you can talk about and you will be listened to.
โOne in four of us will experience mental health issues at some point in our lives. These issues are indiscriminate and mental health has no club and no colours โ our experiences with mental health make us human and we need to talk about it more openly to encourage potentially life-saving conversations.
โFor men in particular, who love their club and their city โ the Be A Game Changer campaign is here to support themย and to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.โ
The important and powerful message comes at a critical time for the region. The COVID-19 crisis has not only left stands at both stadiums empty, with supporters unable to share matchdays with loved ones or fellow fans, it has also resulted in an increase in mental health related issues as thousands struggle with social isolation, the worries of job security and the financial impact of the pandemic.
Throughout lockdown, both Foundationsย haveย adapted theirย health andย wellbeingย programmes to ensure participants of all agesย remainedย engagedย โ in Sunderland, elderly members of the community wereย supported throughย regular contact though phone calls and WhatsApp messages as part of the Extra Time Hub, with SAFC Director David Jones personally calling 45 fans. Sit and Be Fit exercise videos were shared online for those unable to get out,ย and theย dedicated free fitness programme for fans,ย Fit Black Cats,ย temporarily moved to Facebookย to continue supporting members,ย with each losingย an average of 5kgย during lockdown.
In Newcastle, this included more than 1,000 phone calls made to elderly and vulnerable people, around 200 people given mental health guidance to lower anxiety and feeling of loneliness, and NHS staff invited to access Be A Game Changer mental wellness guidance online.
Be Aย Game Changer Facebook communitiesย for both clubs have also played their part during lockdown as they have become anย increasingly important hubย to thousands of people,ย offering comfort, advice and practical information for those experiencing mental health issues or for friends and relatives supporting someone else.
With some lockdown restrictions lifted, bothย charities are back to operating a number of weekly health and wellbeingย programmes, including Walking Football, free over-40s NHS health checks, specific mental health sessions with MAN v Fat,ย Fit Black Cats,ย 12thย Man and Washington Mindโs Get Set to Go programmes.
The Be A Game Changer campaign was originally launched in February 2019 to encouraged Newcastle United supporters to talk about they are really feeling and to recognise when they or their loved ones are in crisis.
For support in Sunderland, visitย foundationoflight.co.uk/beagamechanger.ย ย
For more information aboutย Be a Game Changer inย Newcastle, visitย nufoundation.org.uk/beagamechanger.
Alternatively, join theย SAFC Facebook communityย or joinย NUFC Facebook communityย
10 October 2020
Latest Tweet
Ha'way the Lads! ๐ดโช๏ธ Well done to our Scholarship team who won the @YAV_Sunderland #BlackHistoryMonth football touโฆ https://t.co/mTPwGTwjLb
about 1 hour ago
Follow us
