Better Business / Better Bristol
“Mental health isn’t an afterthought, it’s part of everything we as humans do”
Ben Akers is the co-founder/co-chief executive of the male mental health charity Talk Club. Founded in 2019 with the fellow co-founder/co-chief executive Gavin Thorpe, the team at Talk Club has grown from a single talking club in the back of Southville pub to a global mental movement.
Gaining charity status back in 2021, Talk Club has over 100 clubs operating around the UK, with 12 in Bristol alone. For thousands of men in the community, Talk Club has been a force for good, with the support from patrons such as Liam Gallagher and Tyson Fury. Their mission is to reduce suicide and help men get mentally fit. They begin this by asking, “How are you? Out of 10?” So, “How are you? Out of 10?”
What’s the one thing that inspires you to get up in the morning?
“‘Inspire’ is a hard word. If I look at it as ‘motivates’, then the answer is ‘To save a life’. It’s a big call but it’s why we started Talk Club, to help men help themselves to be mentally fit, and still be here for their family and friends tomorrow.”
If you could pick one thing to change about Bristol what would it be?
“To be mentally fit. I would love Bristol to be the world’s first mentally fit city. Mental health isn’t an afterthought, it’s part of everything, we as humans do. As a society we are still working on a broken/’fix it model’. If we’re mentally fit, we can be mentally strong. So I’d like Bristol to be mentally fit.”
What does a Better Bristol mean to you?
“A Better Bristol to me is about everyone being able to be mentally fit, from schools to the corporate world.”
Talk Club began its journey in 2019 from a single talking club in the back of a Southville pub to a global mental movement – photo: Talk Club
What action could you as an individual take? What action could your company take?
“Well, Talk Club is all about creating a mentally fit society. So I turn this question back to you. What action could your company take? Talk Club is all based around ‘How are you? Out of 10?’
“Up until last year, we were doing this just in the community, but we were constantly being asked can we bring mental fitness and this measured way of mental health to businesses. So we created Talk Club Business Support – a way for businesses to become mentally fit. So I ask you, the reader, do you want a mentally fit business? If so, get in touch with us.”
What do you want to see from the Bristol business community in the next five years?
“That we’re all open, honest and mentally fit. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 in the UK. 74 per cent of suicides are male. On average a man takes his own life every 2 hours in the UK. So, to reduce this rate in Bristol, or even just save or change one life, we as a community have done our job.”
To learn more about Talk Club visit their website
Main photo: Talk Club
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