Spotlight on Tough Enough to Care
A mental health charity is encouraging men to get together and talk about mental health, demonstrating that there is no shame in being ‘Tough Enough to Care’.
The aim of Tough Enough to Care is for men of all ages to feel comfortable talking and opening up about their emotions to those close to them, instead of bottling them up until they reach breaking point. They also want men to be able to spot when others around them may be struggling and need support.
There is an online peer-to-peer support group and regular meetings at Haden Cross Fire Station Halesowen Road, Cradley Heath B64 7JU, on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month, 7 pm – 9 pm. The charity is launching a new twice-monthly meeting at Northfield Fire Station, South Road, Northfield B31 2RB, on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month, 7 pm to 9 pm. Please note that during the current lock down period, support groups are temporarily closed.
In addition to public platforms, you can also message Tough Enough to Care’s main charity Facebook page. Messages are read by and replied to in the strictest confidence by a team of mental health first aiders. They are not professionals, but can often talk you through a dark time and help to signpost you to the best available help to suit your needs if required.
Tough Enough to Care (TETC) is run by volunteers and was set up in 2019 by ex-RAF Armourer Stuart Bratt from Dudley.
Now working as an industrial engineer, and a keen rugby player for 25 years, Stuart has spent much of his adult life in predominantly male working environments. He has seen first-hand how men find it hard to open up about how their emotions and wanted to help men recognise that talking about how they are feeling doesn’t make you ‘less of a man’.