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

Keelan (left) and Paul started a men's mental health group in memory of their friend Curt

Keelan Densmore's friend Curtis Enamu died on 7 March 2018. They both lived in Runcorn, a town of just over 60,000 people, 11 miles outside of Liverpool.

Curtis died after taking ecstasy, but despite claims from his family that he'd expressed suicidal thoughts before his death, the coroner didn't confirm a motivation.

Keelan - who's had his own struggles - decided he wanted to do something to support men in his local area, despite having no formal mental health training.

He got together with his friend Paul Humphries, 25, who was also close with Curt, to try to make a change.

"We are just two lads who want to help," Keelan, a 24-year-old delivery driver, tells Radio 1 Newsbeat.

"When I found out my best mate had died I just absolutely lost it. I went on a six month bender period and ended up in rehab."

In January, they invited local men to meet and discuss their mental health at Curt's Coffee Club, a group they named after their friend.

At their first session, 26 people turned up.

"I had a few people that messaged me saying they didn't come because they didn't feel like they wanted to speak in front of people," Keelan says.

"It's not like that. You don't have to come and talk. It's just good for you to get out the house, a way of socialising and not being sat at home in your own head."

The group's second meeting, in February, included a talk on acceptance

They decided to do something after the deaths of several people in recent years - and Paul says if they can can prevent just one suicide in their town, they'll have done their job.

"The amount of young lads that have died in the past five, six years, is unacceptable," he says.

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

There were 14 recorded in 2019 and nine in 2020, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.

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

An 'enormous difference'

What Keelan and Paul are doing has the support of local authorities - which provide a range of services for mental health needs in the Halton area.

"We do have high areas of deprivation, so with higher levels of deprivation there are higher levels of need as well," Kate Bazley, mental health and wellbeing lead at Halton Council, tells Newsbeat.

Kate says projects like Curt's Coffee Club make an "enormous difference" to people in the area.

She says money problems and bereavement are two of the biggest factors contributing to poor mental health in the area - and says Halton council has been specifically targeting men's mental health with campaigns in recent years.

"But we absolutely know that until the likes of Keelan and Paul know exactly where to get that support, that we've got a lot more work to do," she adds.

'Not many people ask if we're ok'

Research carried out by mental health charity Mind in 2019 showed that 43% of men in the UK said they'd experienced poor mental health in their lifetime, compared to 53% of women.

Keelan believes the true figures are much higher - and that men still don't talk enough about their mental health.

"Not many people ask us if we're ok, so it's just good for the local lads to come together, just have a chat and see what's bothering each other."

And he knows first-hand how important it is to have someone you relate to helping when you're struggling.

"I found with taking drugs - and trying to get off them - that when I went to meetings and was sat with like-minded people, it becomes easier," he says.

"The thought of going to therapy or to see a mental health nurse might scare some people.

"Some people see that as a bit too far but going to see someone who is just one of the lads in the community, that might seem a little bit easier for someone to approach."

Paul says there is a "lack of opportunities" in Runcorn but both men say that government talk of "levelling up" parts of the UK means "nothing at all" to them.

"We try to take things into our own hands here locally and try and help people. We don't expect any hand-outs from Boris Johnson or anyone like that," says Keelan.

And that's exactly what they've done with Curt's Coffee Club.

'A big benefit for Runcorn'

The group met for the second time at the start of February, with 20 men turning up.

Since the group's first meeting, Keelan and Paul have taken courses on mental health first aid and safeguarding children and vulnerable people.

Paul says Curt's nan loved this photo of her grandson

The group has also had the seal of approval from the person Curt was closest to - his nan.

Keelan and Paul are still in touch with her, and say she's "really happy" with what they're doing in his name.

His nan told Newsbeat she "can't thank Keelan and Paul enough" for what they've set up in his name.

"He was a lovely lad," Keelan says. "His nan meant everything to him."

"You never know what anyone's battling, personally, do you? So you've just got to set up a little support network where people can come and they feel comfortable.

"The sooner we get the ball rolling with this, I think there'll be a big benefit on the town."

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