Mental health: Making Waves washing away stigma around men's struggles

Josh Morris, Ryan Millar and Christian Archer are the co-founders of Making Waves Portrush.

For many people, it's not New Year's Day without a dip in the sea.

It's a popular choice for those hoping to step into the new year with a clear mind and good intentions for a fresh start.

That's the philosophy of three young men in north Antrim who are aiming to turn the tide on issues in men's mental health.

Josh Morris, 23, Ryan Millar, 27, and Christian Archer, 25, set up Making Waves - a group based on the north coast which wants to help men of all ages open up and break the stigma around mental struggles.

The group meets about three times a month, where they organise activities like paddleboarding, bike rides and football tournaments.

The aim is to offer a space where men can open up and create friendships - and it's working.

At Making Waves' first football tournament earlier in December, 97 people travelled from different parts of Northern Ireland to attend.

On Mondays, the group holds "Mindful Mondays" football tournaments aiming to "kick the stigma" around mental health

Studies have shown that Northern Ireland has the highest prevalence of mental illness in the UK, and death from suicide continues to rise.

"I feel like there's a mental health pandemic in this country... and we are trying to help in every way we can," said Christian.

Ryan told BBC News NI that their own experiences inspired them to create the group.

"There's this stigma behind mental health, like we shouldn't be able to talk about things or we have to man up and be tough.

"It took us so long to get help and open up."

Christian added: "We are not forcing guys to come down and talk about their problems.

"That's not what this is. I don't think that's a healthy way to do it. I think we're just trying to create friendships and bonds where they can feel like they can naturally do that themselves."

Josh said coming up with activity ideas is a community effort.

Josh highlights how the group would not be possible without help from others.

"There's so many local businesses and people around the towns that have reached out to us with plenty of ideas. There's lots of outdoor activities, we found that stuff like that has really helped us."

Robert Dani attends the group's sessions and said he always looks forward to them.

'I look forward to it every Monday'

Robert Dani joined the group because he had experienced feelings of loneliness and wanted to be part of a community.

"It's important I think for young people, young guys especially, to find a friendship group because a lot of us get lost and a lot of us spend a lot of time alone," he told BBC News NI.

"Going to football gets you out of that mindset. It's good craic, I look forward to it every Monday," he added.

'Something to be proud of'

For the men behind the idea, the group is something they cherish.

"I'm proud of myself, I'm proud of Christian and Josh as well. More importantly, I'm proud of all the guys who come down because without them, this wouldn't be a thing," said Ryan.

It's also been a personal journey for all three.

Ryan described how they "know how hard it is to make that first step to actually reach out".

• 'Men think it's weak to talk about not being well'

"So it's incredible the response we got from the beginning," he added. "The guys who were writing to us, wanting to get involved and help themselves."

Speaking about the future, Christian said there's "big plans for next year".

They are hoping to keep the current friendly, community aspect of the group but expand it to reach more people.

"We want to make sure it's accessible to everybody. We don't want to discriminate. We want to make sure that people get the help that they deserve."

If you have been affected by any of the themes are issues discussed in the article, help and advice is available at BBC Action Line.