#ItTakesBallstoTalk

The Campaign

#ItTakesBallsToTalk is a community mental health initiative and suicide prevention campaign targeting men (but not exclusively), especially those at risk of suicide, in an ex-mining community. Their hashtag is a metaphor to encourage men to seek help when their mental health is suffering.

It was co-designed with the ‘boys’ from local rugby clubs to reduce the high levels of male suicide locally – 75% of deaths by suicide were male and most had not sought help. Mental health support is taken directly to men via friends, sports coaches, committee members, and people they know and trust in straightforward messaging: talking saves lives.

Ystradgynlais Minds supporter and activist Michael Sheen endorsed their message in a promotional video.

The campaign worked in partnership with local sports clubs, gyms, and local businesses to normalise conversations about mental health. It trained mental health first aiders in outreach and hosted pop-up awareness sessions, providing information and signposting to support services.

The Change

The change has been dramatic and unanticipated. Communities traumatised by suicides have really got behind the campaign.

Two people were supported to seek help after speaking to first aiders about their active plans to take their own lives. People are actively seeking support for talking therapies and other forms of mental health support, including yoga and mindfulness.

The NHS Collaborative invited the CEO onto the ‘Men’s Suicide and Self-harm’ working group and the campaign is regularly contracted by other local agencies for advice and contracts

They received funding for a Friends and Family suicide bereavement support group and requests from schools to train teaching staff. Three cohorts of mental health first aiders have been trained, and there’s a waiting list for future training. Hairdressers, barbers, nurses, paramedics, and occupational health staff are now involved in local rugby clubs. Representatives from multi-ability sports teams, women’s rugby teams, and the local leisure centre have requested training.

The most important change, however, is that the project is ‘sustainable’. It is increasing the knowledge and skills of the community to enable them to effectively support one another, with the ongoing ‘wrap around’ support of Ystradgynlais Mind.

The Future

This unique project is not a ‘top down’ model, which they feel has failed men for many years, but ‘bottom up’. It has given the community a voice and the tools that help them to be part of the solution; by promoting good mental health, breaking stigma, and preventing death by suicide. The model is being rolled out across Wales and, working with other local Mind Associations, they hope to attract funding from Movember (they are through the first round) to implement the roll-out. Evidence from project outcomes will be shared with the Welsh Government to integrate this model into wider provision.