Hampshire’s Silverlake Garage backs suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club

Silverlake Automotive Recycling has continued its support for suicide prevention charity Andy’s Man Club, raising funds and holding events over the festive period.

Christmas and New Year can be a stressful time for many, so Silverlake invited the charity to deliver presentations to all its staff in the preceding weeks.

They also treated members of the Andy’s Man Club teams in Eastleigh and Southampton to some matchday hospitality at the home ground of Eastleigh FC, who count the garage among their sponsors.

The day began with a tour of the company’s recycling site in Shedfield before a triumphant 2–1 win for Eastleigh over Dorking Wanderers.

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Andy’s Man Club provides free peer-to-peer groups at more than 150 locations across the UK, offering men a chance to come together and discuss issues in a safe and open environment.

Silverlake helps to fund their work via the UDonateacar.com charity scheme.

Allen Prebble, Managing Director at Silverlake, said: “Men experience disproportionately high rates of suicide, with death by suicide being the biggest killer of men under the age of 50 in the UK.

“Mental illness affects people of every gender, but poor mental health outcomes for men are often driven by ‘toxic masculinity’ where men are portrayed or expected to be strong and silent.

“Andy’s Man Club encourages men to talk and provides a vital service to support men’s mental health. Staff feedback from the presentations they gave at Silverlake was hugely positive.

“We’re proud to be able to raise funds for Andy’s Man Club through our UDonateacar.com scheme and it was a real pleasure to have them as our guests at Eastleigh Football Club.”

Andy’s Man Club received their grant last year from Global’s Make Some Noise, which distributes the funds raised through UDonateacar.com.

Darren Edwards, the charity’s Project Development Champion, added: “The grant helps us to keep our doors open and provide a safe space for men to come and talk and we are incredibly grateful.

“It was great for our Eastleigh and Southampton teams to have a day out as guests of Silverlake and very much appreciated – the site tour was a real eye opener into automotive recycling.

“I also welcomed the opportunity to run three presentations for Silverlake’s staff to ensure everyone heard our message that ‘It’s okay to talk’.”

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