It Takes Balls to Talk campaign lands Commons support
MPs from across the country have signed up to show their support for a mental health campaign born here in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Twenty-one MPs – including Coventry’s three elected members – have so far signed an Early Day Motion put forward by Coventry North East MP Colleen Fletcher in support of ‘It takes balls to talk’, a campaign targeting men across the area.
The campaign sets out to engage men in conversations about their mental health as part of arrangements to mark this year’s World Mental Health Day in October.
As well as a campaign launch event on the Day itself, Monday 10 October, volunteers will be out and about visiting sports clubs across the area during the first two weeks of the month in particular. This includes Coventry City FC and Wasps RUFC matches at the Ricoh Arena.
Campaigners hope to reach thousands of people at the events, and will also be visiting ice hockey, cricket, tennis and other sports clubs to get their message across.
The campaign has been put together by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, the main NHS provider of mental health services in the area, together with Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, the Samaritans, local authorities, and other local organisations.
Steven Hill, Director at Coventry and Warwickshire Mind, said: “This is a great and welcome boost for our campaign. We will be looking to make sure ‘It takes balls to talk’ is very visible in the next few weeks.
“It can be tough to talk about your mental health. But our messages is that, no matter how you feel, there is someone there who can help. Often this might simply be a friend or a family member. It helps to talk about how you feel. We know men aren’t as good as women at recognising that, and doing something about it. That’s why we have put ‘It takes balls to talk’ together.”
You can find out more about the campaign on Twitter or Facebook, or online at www.ittakesballstotalk.com.