A suicide prevention group set up less than three years ago with a weekly football session has this month opened its own dedicated mental health hub.
Kickin’ On held its first peer support group on a Linwood football pitch weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
Established by David McKenna, the group used football as a means to draw young men struggling with mental health problems and addiction to a support network.
It worked and now, two and a half years later, the group has established its own mental health hub which offers that same life-saving, judgement-free peer support to people from all walks of life.
Opened just as Men’s Mental Health Month started, Dave said it has been a natural progression for a group which found a simple but winning formula to good mental health.
“The pace at which we have grown has taken me by surprise a wee bit,” he told the Express, “but I suppose it highlights the need for Kickin’ On.
“From the first few weeks I knew that we had more to offer than football. We could and wanted to do more and that’s what we have done.”
Inundated with clients from the start, Kickin’ On has since established boot camps, exercise classes, music sessions and cookery classes as a means to attract both men and women to its support services.
It means that since its inception it has and continues to help hundreds of people across Renfrewshire.
It does not offer professional counselling services but what Dave and the clients have found is that the ability to talk to others experiencing a similar battle can be transformative.
“We are a group founded to prevent suicides and since 2020 I can confidently say we have done that,” David said.
“Our community has sadly been badly affected with the loss of young men to suicide in the past.
“I lost my own friend James McElhinney in 2016 and really struggled.
“But it was his loss that spurred me on to set up Kickin’ On.
“Now countless people have told us the difference Kickin’ On is making to their lives and I myself can see the difference in people over the weeks, months and years that they have attended.
“Now we have Unit 23 we are better placed in the community to continue on with what we set out to do.”
David added: “Unit 23 is a multi-purpose community hub that will continue to allow our group to provide a safe space, a non-judgemental space and a space to talk which is what our group was built around.
“Now we have a permanent base we can reach more people by offering other activities such as DJing, guitar, art, cookery and an over 60s group alongside our established
groups.
“It’s a progression that was required to allow us to take what we do and make it better and more accessible for everyone.”
The base has been made possible through countless fundraisers, successful grant applications and support from Engage Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire Council.
It has also partnered up with other organisations such as Platform18 and Riverside Festival.
And the organisation’s Music Box – which saw Dave’s friend and DJ Campbell Whyte host a club night in Johnstone – has raised funds for and awareness of Kickin’ On.
Looking to the future, the organisation expects to secure its charitable status very soon and is seeking volunteers to help its continued growth and expansion into other areas of
interest.
Dave said: “I think over the past couple of years we have shown what have to offer.
We have always thrived on finding creative ways to bring people together and will continue on with that attitude.
“We’ve created a wee community, a support network and are building something special. We’re progressive, positive and a forward thinking group and we are just getting
started.”
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