Men’s mental health is being brought to the fore in a unique way in Buncrana this month with the establishment of a special coffee evening.
A weekly meet-up has started in the Lily Rose Cafe Buncrana to welcome all men for a casual chat with a focus on wellbeing.
It is open to every person at any stage in their life who may feel stressed, anxious or lonely.
The meeting was the idea of local dad Jason Cameron, whose wife Tara sadly passed away in October 2017.
He has teamed up with a local counsellor to invite all men to meet up and talk, whether they are single fathers, widowers, or just feeling lonely.
In a time when mental health is a major issue, a meeting such as this is a welcome step to help people take time to focus on themselves.
Jason said: “We started the group four weeks ago on a trial basis for the likes of single fathers that may have been struggling, or anybody having a bad day that wants to vent a little frustration.
“They are not counselling sessions, but we have a counsellor in training on suicide awareness sitting in to point people in the right direction if they need help. Some people are just not aware of what avenues are available to them.”
Jason said he has been contacted by people who have relatives who they think would benefit from the group. The onus is on the individual to come to the meetings, Jason said, where they will be very welcome.
The next meet-up takes place tonight, Thursday 16th August at 7pm in the Lily Rose Cafe.
“If more people contact us with an interest we can look at making it more permanent,” said Jason.
Lily Rose Cafe Buncrana
