New campaign to tackle high levels of male suicide in Leicestershire

The ‘Get the Ball Rolling’ campaign uses sporting references to show men how they can start a conversation with others.

Men are being encouraged to talk to their friends about their feelings, as part of a campaign that aims to tackle the high levels of male suicide across the county.

A total of 455 deaths by suicide in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland were recorded between January 2015 and June 2021. More than 75 per cent of those deaths were men.

Steve Walsh, former Leicester City defender and United Leicester spokesman said: “Get The Ball Rolling is an important campaign. It is well known that men generally do not discuss their feelings. If men spoke up about how they felt, it would go a long way to helping their mental wellbeing, so it’s great to see a campaign aimed at breaking that stigma.”

The ‘Get the Ball Rolling’ campaign uses sporting references on beer mats, posters and on social media to show men how they can start a conversation with others, and where they can get help if they are struggling with their mental health.

Local brewery Everards and United Leicester mental health hub are backing the campaign.