'They stopped me and they saved me'

Stewart says he struggles with his mental health after a traumatic childhood

Every Friday and Saturday night, volunteers patrol a Glasgow housing scheme to offer support to men who are vulnerable or even suicidal.

"They've stopped me and they've saved me," says Stewart from Drumchapel.

He is talking about Del McGuire and Andy Macalister, volunteers from Men Matter Scotland's street team.

Stewart tells the BBC he struggles with his mental health after a traumatic childhood.

He says he wasn't able to get the right help before he met Del and Andy.

The 35-year-old says his doctor referred him for mental health treatment but he missed a phone call and was put back on the waiting list.

"I wasn't in the right place for that," he says.

"I go up to Men Matter Scotland and I'm in a room chatting within 45 minutes."

Andy and Del patrol Drumchapel looking for people in crisis

Since meeting Del and Andy, Stewart has been attending therapy sessions at the charity's hub.

He says: "I've been there for three weeks now, done my first one-to-one today and got a whole load of stuff off my chest that I've been trying to get off since I was 15.

"I feel a whole lot better."

He says it is a big step for him to share his thoughts with others.

"I've only been in my head myself," he says. "That can be a very dangerous game."

Living in deprivation

Men Matter Scotland was launched in 2019 to promote wellbeing and prevent suicide. Since then, it has supported more than 1,700 men through weekly group sessions and activities, including one-to-one peer support.

The group welcomes about 200 men through its doors on a weekly basis.

Del and Andy say that rising food and energy bills have "dramatically" impacted those already living in deprivation, adding extra stress to their daily lives.

"I think that the cost of living is a major part in the numbers that we've got now," says Del.

"There's boys who come in here and maybe that's the only time they're having a hot shower. There's people in this community, and roundabout, that are having cold showers just because they can't afford the cost."

People living in Scotland's most deprived areas remain more than three times more likely to die by suicide than those living in the least deprived areas, and men are almost three times as likely to die by suicide than women.

Del McGuire says it is a war against suicide

In Drumchapel, Del and Andy patrol the area looking for signs of people in crisis.

"There's maybe that one person on the path to suicide, they're at the very end of their tether with it, and we might just be that person who makes that difference," says Del.

"It's hard for us to try to find the needle in the haystack but we will go and look for it."

This project is personal for everyone involved. Del lost his dad six years ago to suicide.

"When my dad killed himself, I sort of looked at suicide in a different way," he says.

"I've had friends that have killed themselves as well. I said to myself - something needs to be done here.

"I call it a fight. It's always a war against suicide and I always think that we just need to keep on soldiering on."

The 38-year-old has been involved with the charity since he carried out some plumbing in their hub ahead of its opening in 2019.

"I went into the talking group and I didn't think that it was something that would interest me," he says.

"I started sitting in and I had a lightbulb moment. That's when I went 'oh, I could be doing with a bit of what they're doing here'."

Andy Macalister says becoming a volunteer gave him purpose

Andy has also benefited from the group work.

"If you asked me three years ago if I'd be meditating in my room, I'd be like that - maybe not - but I do because it helps me," he says.

As a suicide survivor, the 35-year-old is determined to use his lived experience to help others.

"I was thankful I woke up that next day," he says.

"I became a volunteer in here and I've not looked back since then. It gave me a purpose and gave me a routine and it gave my family me back - understanding my problems instead of just hiding away from talking about them."

He is keen to spread the word about the range of resources on offer.

"We've got a music room, a games room, three talking rooms, we've got a training room, a relaxation room, a gym," says Andy.

"We've got moving-forward coaching, mindset coaching, resilience coaching, mental health matters, yoga. Wim Hof as well - don't know if you've heard of the ice man? We do cold water therapy."

Fraser Devine says its about trying to help as many people as possible

Overseeing the charity's work is Fraser Devine.

"I'm a recovering alcoholic, drug addict and survivor of suicide seven times, thankfully," he says.

"I believe I'm here to do something and this is what I do."

The 35-year-old says that NHS mental health services are failing vulnerable people, with charities left to fill the gap.

"It's just about trying to help as many people as possible because they're getting failed everywhere else, whether it's waiting lists or getting passed from pillar to post," he says.

He is calling for the government 'to sit up and take notice' and reverse budget cuts.

Men Matter Scotland receive the bulk of their funding from public donations.

For the street team project, it was Drumchapel High School pupils who provided the £3,000 needed to get the project off the ground.

Fifteen-year-old friends Brooke and Shannon competed with other students to secure the funding through the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative.

"I'm proud of the both of us," says Shannon. "I knew that they were good and deserved the money and I was happy to get them it."

For Del and Andy there is a real sense of a community looking after its own.

"I puff my chest out when I say I come from Drumchapel," says Del.

"Drumchapel has obviously got a really bad name for being deprived and everything else but the people in it want it to be better."