CLOSER NEWS REPORT
With 13 men a day taking their own lives in the UK, the Movember campaign is more important than ever. Closer speaks to one woman who has been raising awareness after losing her father and brother…
For the past 20 years, the campaign Movember has seen men grow moustaches in the name of mental health, prostate and testicular cancer. With celebrity support from the likes of Laura Whitmore and Iain Stirling, the annual event encourages men to openly discuss their health and seek support.
For Fiona Williams, it’s a cause close to her heart. She lost her dad, Thomas, to alcoholism 18 years ago, and in April this year, her brother, Andrew, died by suicide. To raise funds for Movember Fiona ran a marathon with her friends, Caroline, Kath and Sophia, last month.
Fiona, 34, from Leeds, says, “It was an honour to run in memory of Andrew with my besties. We’re women who all have experience with someone who has suffered. We raised £3k for a fantastic cause, as well as awareness about the importance of speaking out.”
REDEFINING
Thanks to Movember, the conversation around men’s mental health is more open than ever – but there’s still work to be done. In the UK, three out of four deaths by suicide are men, with an average of 13 taking their own lives every day. Suicide is the country’s leading cause of death in men aged 20 to 34.
Movember’s masculinities expert, Sarah Sternberg, says, “The root cause of men not discussing their health is often embarrassment, but things are changing. Young men particularly are redefining masculinity and are more willing to be a support system for their mates.
“Women also play a significant role in men’s health. Aside from donating, you can host fundraising parties or take part in Move, where people walk or run 60km to remember the 60 men lost to suicide globally, every hour. But starting conversations is the most important thing. Research shows that men are most likely to confide in their intimate partner, such as a wife or girlfriend, and those who seek help often do so because they’ve been pestered by a loved one.
Don’t give up – keep trying.”
For Fiona, her first experience with mental health struggles was her father’s. She recalls, “My parents split up when I was young, and I reconnected with Dad as a teenager. He was a lost man and an alcoholic. When I was 16, Dad called because he’d got a band to play me a song, but I was abrupt and blunt because I was busy. Three days later, his pancreas gave in due to excessive drinking. I felt immense guilt.”
STRUGGLES
Years later, when Fiona�
