Andy's Man Club offers men a space where they can talk and benefit from peer-to-peer support based around talking sessions every Monday.
Men's mental health has for many years been a taboo subject with many suffering in silence.
Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 and the impact of the last year will have only exacerbated the issue.
Andy's Man Club began after Andrew Roberts sadly took his own life in 2016 aged just 23.
The ‘talking group, a place for men to come together in a safe environment to talk about issues and problems they have faced or are currently facing', was formed by Andy's brother-in-law Luke Ambler and mother-in-law Elaine.
Offering judgment-free support in a non-clinical setting nationwide, the project now has 44 branches with three in the north east in Hartlepool, Sunderland and now Middlesbrough.
Newport ward Councillor Chris Cooke has helped support the initiative locally, and is urging men facing mental health issues to get talking.
Chris's own father sadly took his own life when Chris was a teenager.
He said: "As someone who has lost his own father to mental health issues this is a subject incredibly close to me.
"For many years I would hear people say ‘I just wish he had told us how he felt'.
"It wasn't until my own difficult experiences with mental health that I understood the worries and feelings associated with talking about this subject.
"I hope that Andy's Man Club can go some way in helping men to understand they are not alone in how they feel and that there is no stigma.
"I am proud to have become one of the organisers for the Middlesbrough branch and will be on hand to offer support to other men."
- Andy's Man Club is based at Streets Ahead, 109-111 Parliament Road, Middlesbrough TS1 4JE.
Meetings take place every Monday from 7pm. For further information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- For the latest local updates and information, visit middlesbrough.gov.uk/covid19
For information on local help and support, visit www.middlesbrough.gov.uk/helpboro
For advice for clinically extremely vulnerable residents call Middlesbrough Council's support line on 01642 729777
The latest advice from Government and Public Health England can be found at https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
