The aim was to \u201cflip the script\u201d and encourage men to open up about their feelings and struggles in a safe and welcoming environment, using exercise as a draw.<\/p>\n
Mankind mental health group, based at Golden Gloves boxing club, Millgate, Newark. Photo: Fionn Burrows.<\/p>\n
The sessions take place every Tuesday from 7pm at the Epic Golden Gloves Boxing Gym, on Millgate in Newark, and involve an hour of boxing followed by a 30-minute open sit-down.<\/p>\n
A year on from their first session, the group now has five times as many members, with men of all ages and backgrounds coming together.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the group first started, I think a lot of trauma was let out,\u201d Jordan said.<\/p>\n
Jordan Bishop, founder of Mankind mental health group. Photo: David Dawson\/Iliffe Media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were at the beginning of their journeys and it was healing to be able to actually tell their story, with no judgment or pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started out with five turning up on registration night \u2014 now we have 26.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want the men of Newark to know, you are not alone; in depression, in addiction, in any of the wars you\u2019re fighting in your life.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I forget that I set this up, because it has become a brotherhood. It is a really special place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jordan Bishop, founder of Mankind mental health group, and Esham Pickering, Golden Gloves boxing club owner. Photo: Fionn Burrows.<\/p>\n
Jordan has also coined a new phrase, which he hopes will change people\u2019s attitudes.<\/p>\n
\u201cMental strength is the new mental health,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat phrase is changing things. As men we\u2019re going through so much stuff, we can feel embarrassed to talk about it and we mask it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of tears, but that\u2019s why I call it mental strength, because we want men to find the positives in opening up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no battle that you have to face alone, and change is very, very possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The group has had a real and lasting impact on its members, including Neil Ford, who has been attending since almost the very beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, I was in a real bad place mentally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mental health was at an all time low and I tried to take my own life on my birthday last year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard about this place and I came. It was so hard to walk through those doors, but they welcomed me with open arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cEver since then, Jordan has been like a brother to me. He checks in on me two or three times a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom where I was, to where I am now, is head and shoulders a different person.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look forward to this every week. Seeing other people in the same boat as you, listening to advice, sharing opinions, it has helped me out so much.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all strangers, and now it\u2019s one big brotherhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
The goal is to turn Mankind into a group which runs two or three nights a week, and eventually become a model that can be rolled out all over the UK.<\/p>\n
Eysham Pickering, owner of Epic Golden Gloves gym, said: \u201cThis guy [Jordan] is changing people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s getting bigger and better, and it can only have a big impact on the town.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoxing is great because it allows people to let everything out, and the chat we have after is the icing on the cake \u2014 you\u2019re letting it out physically, and then letting it out mentally too.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a sense that it is intimidating to walk into a boxing gym, but in this place it\u2019s all love.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve got 20 other people who are on your side, it gives you confidence, composure, and safety.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s using my gym, he\u2019s doing amazing things, and it is a privilege to be a part of this.\u201d<\/p>\n
A special anniversary session is planned for Tuesday, June 23 at 7pm, and all are welcome to attend.<\/p>\n
Jordan is also appealing for any sponsors who may be able to support the group, with the hope of funding mental health trips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A support group aimed at breaking down barriers and tackling the stigma surrounding men\u2019s mental health is celebrating…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639373,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[102,192,1906,6623,10646,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-639372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mental-health","tag-health","tag-human-interest","tag-mental-health","tag-mentalhealth","tag-newark","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}