Mental health in Runcorn: ‘We’re just two lads who want to help’

Keelan Densmore’s just proper friend Curtis Enamu died on 7 March 2018. They every lived in Runcorn, a city of proper over 60,000 folks, 11 miles outside of Liverpool.

Curtis died after taking ecstasy, nonetheless despite claims from his household that he’d expressed suicidal thoughts earlier than his death, the coroner didn’t verify a motivation.

Keelan – who’s had his non-public struggles – decided he considerable to relieve out one thing to strengthen males in his native declare, despite having no formal mental health training.

He acquired alongside with his just proper friend Paul Humphries, 25, who used to be also close with Curt, to are attempting to make a commerce.

“We are proper two lads who wish to relieve,” Keelan, a 24-year-former provide driver, tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

“When I learned my finest mate had died I proper fully misplaced it. I went on a six month bender period and ended up in rehab.”

In January, they invited native males to meet and discuss their mental health at Curt’s Coffee Club, a community they named after their just proper friend.

At their first session, 26 folks was up.

“I had a pair of folks that messaged me asserting they didn’t come as a outcome of they didn’t in point of fact feel cherish they considerable to talk in front of folks,” Keelan says.

“Or not it’s a long way never cherish that. You do not desire to come and talk. Or not it’s proper edifying so that you just can win out the house, a technique of socialising and not being sat at house to your non-public head.”

They decided to relieve out one thing after the deaths of loads of folks in unique years – and Paul says if they’ll can stop proper one suicide of their city, they’ll non-public performed their job.

“The amount of young lads which non-public died in the past 5, six years, is unacceptable,” he says.

In 2018, 13 suicides were recorded in the borough of Halton – which Runcorn is half of.

There were 14 recorded in 2019 and nine in 2020, in step with figures from the Administrative heart of Nationwide Statistics.

These numbers are decrease than suicides recorded in neighbouring boroughs of Warrington, Cheshire West and Chester and Merseyside in the identical period, nonetheless Halton has the smallest population of the four.

“We provide out non-public excessive areas of deprivation, so with increased ranges of deprivation there are increased ranges of need as effectively,” Kate Bazley, mental health and wellbeing lead at Halton Council, tells Newsbeat.

Kate says projects cherish Curt’s Coffee Club make an “extensive incompatibility” to folks in the declare.

“However we fully know that till the likes of Keelan and Paul know precisely the save to win that strengthen, that we now non-public acquired loads extra work to relieve out,” she provides.

Keelan believes the trusty figures are great increased – and that males unexcited don’t talk ample about their mental health.

“No longer many folks ask us if we’re good ample, so or not it’s proper edifying for the native lads to come together, proper non-public a chat and look what’s bothering every completely different.”

And he knows first-hand how considerable it’s a long way to non-public somebody you describe to helping whenever you might maybe presumably be struggling.

“I discovered with taking capsules – and making an strive to win off them – that after I went to meetings and used to be sat with cherish-minded folks, it becomes more straightforward,” he says.

“The knowing to be going to treatment or to examine a mental health nurse would possibly terror some folks.

“Some folks look that as a exiguous too a long way nonetheless going to examine somebody who is correct knowing to be one of the men in the community, that would possibly seem a exiguous bit more straightforward for somebody to components.”

Paul says there is a “lack of opportunities” in Runcorn nonetheless every males utter that govt talk of “levelling up” parts of the UK intention “nothing the least bit” to them.

“We strive to amass issues into our non-public fingers here in the community and investigate cross-check and relieve folks. We don’t inquire of any hand-outs from Boris Johnson or anybody cherish that,” says Keelan.

And that’s the reason precisely what they’ve performed with Curt’s Coffee Club.

The community met for the second time on the open of February, with 20 males turning up.

Since the community’s first assembly, Keelan and Paul non-public taken programs on mental health first again and safeguarding kids and inclined folks.

The community has also had the seal of approval from the actual person Curt used to be closest to – his nan.

Keelan and Paul are unexcited in contact alongside with her, and utter she’s “in point of fact elated” with what they’re doing in his title.

His nan knowledgeable Newsbeat she “can’t thank Keelan and Paul ample” for what they’ve declare up in his title.

“He used to be a just proper-searching lad,” Keelan says. “His nan intended all the pieces to him.”

“You by no intention know what anybody’s battling, personally, raise out you? So that you just might maybe non-public got proper acquired to declare up a exiguous strengthen network the save folks can come and in addition they in point of fact feel elated.

“The sooner we win the ball rolling with this, I have faith there’ll be a expansive income on the town.”

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