"Don't Just Checkout...Check In"
Chasing the Stigma hopes to spark a discussion at the darts about mental health
There'll be checkouts aplenty when the world's top darts players comes to Liverpool - but a local mental health charity hopes it can open up discussion about 'checking in' too.
Chasing the Stigma has teamed up with the M&S Bank Arena and Premier League Darts to remove the stigma when it comes to men opening up about their mental health.
The charity will be at the arena to speak to crowd members and there'll be QR codes on the back of seats for anyone who needs support.
Among the players on show will be world champion Luke Humphries, who has been vocal about his own mental health journey.
Luke said:
"Everybody’s struggles are different, but we all go through it and we all try and manage it as best as we possibly can. I’m proud of the way I battled the things going on in my head.
"Speak to the people who are closest to you the most, they’re the people who are there in the toughest moments.
"It’s important to open up on the subject and talk about it because I feel as if it’s not talked about enough. I went out and spoke to the right people and now I stand here as a World Champion."
ONS data reveals around three-quarters of suicides in 2021 were males and there are still over 5,000 deaths by suicide in England each year, with the male rate three times higher.
Chasing the Stigma operates the Hub of Hope, the UK's largest directory of mental health services, with support filters such as anxiety, depression, gambling addiction and bereavement.
Jake Mills, founder and CEO of Chasing the Stigma, said:
"Being able to put a message around looking after the mental health in an environment like this, when people are often feeling relaxed and happy and enjoying themselves, is such an important way of getting that message to them - instead of just waiting for people to come to us.
"It's a huge opportunity to reach a new audience.
"I have to give Luke Humphries all my respect"
"I have to give Luke Humphries all my respect. What he has done in his own personal life - struggling with his anxiety to overcome that to become world champ takes an awful lot of strength.
"But what he's also done is he's been really open, he's put himself right at the front of this conversation. Luke Humphries has, in many ways, made this partnership work. Luke Humphries wanting to front this partnership, wanting to speak to camera about his own struggles, his own anxieties.
"He's talking about the power that came, the strength that came from acknowledging that reaching out for help and support, and then achieving his absolute, lifelong goal of becoming the world champ. He is the perfect example of that getting help and support and talking about mental health can lead to a much, much better life.
"There is absolutely always hope"
"My message to anybody struggling is that there is absolutely always hope, no matter how impossible it feels and seems right now. Just take that step, look out for the help and support, talk to somebody, go and give yourself the chance to get better, to live well.
"And who knows? We could be having the next world champ in that room who might be struggling right now and,, being put on the right path, can absolutely thrive."
The ACC Liverpool Group, who operate the M&S Bank Arena, have adopted the Hub of Hope as the official mental health signposting tool for staff and have trained many of their staff as Ambassadors of Hope.
Ben Williams, Director of Commercial and Business Development at the M&S Bank Arena, said:
"Our aim is to raise awareness among our audience and staff that help is out there. Everyone has their own mental health journey, but it’s well known that men are statistically more reluctant than women to seek help when they’re struggling.
"Although mental health is being talked about now more than ever, there’s still so much work to do to remove that stigma surrounding it.
"We’re committed to supporting the positive wellbeing of our staff and encouraging good mental health practices and have embraced the Hub of Hope as the official mental health signposting tool for our workforce.
"Starting the conversation is the important first step in supporting good mental health and a happy, healthy workplace."