"I tried to take my own life - Andy's Man Club changed my life"

When he walked through the doors of Andy’s Man Club in Oldham, Dan Rowe thought he was the only one struggling with being a father. He joined the club on January 8, 2018 at 35-years-old and with a two-year-old child and a post natal depression diagnosis, he felt like he had nowhere to turn.

Two days prior he had attempted to take his own life.

“I remember it vividly,” he told the MEN about his first day at Andy's Men's Club.

“I didn’t want to go, I didn’t want to be there, I had no intention of talking or listening. If I’m honest it was probably a ticked box for me.

“I came away the first night and felt an improvement of about one percent, but I felt I small improvement which was enough for me to make a commitment to myself to make another go.”

J oin our WhatsAp p Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link .

Dan, now 40, was one of the thousands of men who has attended Andy’s Man Club since their inception. The charity was created by Elaine Roberts and Luke Ambler, the mother and brother-in-law of Andrew Roberts.

The namesake of the charity, Andrew Roberts was a 23-year-old man who sadly took his own life in 2016. The club, which is now his legacy, began with nine men in a small room in Halifax where Andrew is from.

The charity now has over 130 locations across three counties and see close to 3,000 guys a week. The concept is simple, men over the age of 18 meet at a hub every Monday from 7pm and they talk about their ills to help cope with their mental health struggles.

“I was encouraged to go to Andy’s Man Club and if I’m honest, that along with many other things changed my life for the better,” explained Dan.

“Realising that you’re not alone, realising that there’s guys out there going through