Glasgow comedian Gary Faulds has spoken of his own troubles with mental health ahead of a charity run.
The comedian is set to take part in the Falkirk Epic Trail 10k - despite the fact that he hasn't been on a run in six months.
Gary, 34, began struggling with his mental health during the pandemic and ended up reaching out to charity Men Matter Scotland, a choice he says helped get him back on track.
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Gary told Glasgow Live: "My mental health really started to deteriorate during covid, the pandemic had affected my comedy gigs and I just ended up really at rock bottom.
"I'd got to the point where the thoughts were starting to creep in like 'do I really need to be here' and it was just not a nice time.
"I had initially called my doctor who told me it could take at least two weeks, probably longer, for me to actually get someone to speak to but I knew I really needed the help as quickly as possible.
"I called up Men Matter Scotland and the guy on the phone said to just come straight down to the hub, literally within an hour of phoning I was sitting down with someone and talking through how I was feeling."
Gary says that with recent NHS pressure everyone knows how difficult it is to get an appointment for anything at all, but with the mental health charity there are no appointments necessary. The phoneline is available 24/7 for anyone to call at any point and get help.
"Whoever has the phone is literally just waiting on a call from someone in need," Gary added. "They are there and available all hours and will do whatever they can to help in someone's moment of need."
The charity have people available for men to speak to and talk through how they're feeling but also have activities on almost every day. The hub is currently open Monday-Thursday but is looking to expand to be open on Friday's too, based in Drumchapel.
Gary said: "The hub is a great thing, I honestly think there should be one in every city in Scotland. It's a great thing to have, knowing there's someone on a phone line available all the time but that you can also go down and escape for a bit.
"My first day at the hub I got some Reiki treatment and since then I've been to breathing classes where you get to do some cold water therapy and there's also been some people in who talk about positive thoughts and it's all really great, there's always something on.
"Personally I'm doing a lot better now but I still go into the hub once every couple of weeks, it's just such a great group of guys and I think it's so important to have a space where guys can just sit and talk about how they're feeling without getting embarrassed and worrying what others think of them if they cry."
Gary is set to take on the Falkirk Epic Trail 10k on January 15 as one of many fundraising attempts to raise as much money as possible for one of the charity's new initiatives.
Beginning in February, the charity will offer a retreat for 12 men to go away and get some time in nature and have a bit of a break as well as a chance to work on their mental health. Each trip will cost £200 and Gary is hoping to raise enough money to pay for a years worth of trips.
He added: "I'm very lucky to have the following I do to raise awareness of the charity as well as a decent platform to fundraise on. I'm planning on going along to the first retreat on January 27th which will really just to get everything set up, but I'll be driving myself in my van so I don't take up one of the spaces on the bus.
"The £200 for each trip goes straight to fuel and other necessary costs so I'm really hoping we can raise this money. I've benefitted from the service myself, I'm still involved and go fairly regularly so to be able to help provide a bit of an escape from a busy life for these guys would just be amazing.
"I can't emphasise enough how phenomenal the hub is and how ingrained in the community it is, they offer loads of services and they're just all fantastic people involved."
If you or someone you know have been feeling down and could use someone to talk to, visit the Men Matter Scotland website here for information on how to get support.
You can also donate to Gary's fundraiser here.
Men Matter Scotland's hub is based at at 20 Drumchapel Road, G15 6QE.
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