'Manbassadors' sprint into action for men's health in Leeds

The team - who all work within Leeds City Council’s Active Leeds service and are part of a ‘Manbassadors programme’ which champions men’s health among colleagues – ran the gruelling 55km in less than 12 hours to raise £1,400 for local men’s support groups.

Their impressive achievement – in Men’s Health Awareness month of November - comes as the topic of men’s health was placed firmly on the national agenda with the publication of the government’s first ever Men’s Health Strategy.

The strategy has been welcomed by public health leaders and senior councillors in Leeds where work has been ongoing for a number of years to tackle the physical and mental health challenges faced by men and boys. 

Statistics highlighted in the strategy include:

• Men live on average almost four years fewer than women
• 36 per cent of male deaths occur before the age of 75
• Three in four deaths by suicide in 2024 were men
• 69 per cent of cardiovascular disease deaths in under-75s are male

The Manbassadors programme is a national workplace initiative to help build a male-friendly wellbeing culture and is among many projects underway in Leeds which aim to improve men’s physical and mental health and break stigma around speaking up.

One of the Manbassador runners was Neil Jones, who works in the development team for the Active Leeds service, which runs 16 leisure centres in the city.

He said: “I’m passionate about men’s health and believe early intervention is key to making the biggest impact. Our small team of 12 active ‘men’s health ambassadors’ was set up in May 2024 to provide a crucial listening and signposting service and so far we’ve supported around 50 colleagues on a whole range of health issues.

“We just wanted to undertake a challenge worthy of attracting important sponsorship funds to help the local men’s health organisations we signpost people to.

“We set off at 6am in Wetherby and finished just before 6pm in Middleton. We really enjoyed it – although it was a lot tougher than we thought.”

Leeds has had a long-held focus on understanding the needs of men. In 2016, the council’s public health team commissioned a critical report, ‘The State of Men’s Health in Leeds’ by Leeds Beckett University.

This set the stall for action in the city, bringing together a range of organisations to improve men’s health and wellbeing. The approach led to the development of Men’s Health Unlocked, a partnership between local charities and the council, promoting and supporting people working with men and associated projects across the city.

Its activities include running men’s health sessions, a city-wide magazine for local men, and the bi-annual Northern Man Festival, featuring local and national organisations, artists and academics, which attracts over 3,000 people.

In recognition of this work, Leeds City Council was among the local authorities invited to attend the UK Parliament health and social care committee’s inquiry into men’s health and also submitted written evidence to the Department of Health and Social Care as the strategy was drafted.

Councillor Paul Wray, Leeds City Council’s lead member for men’s health, a position believed to be the only one of its kind among local authorities in England, said: “Men’s health has been a priority in Leeds for a number of years and we welcome the government formally focusing on the issue in this new strategy.

“We know there are many barriers facing men when it comes to their physical and mental health and are fully committed to tackling these in Leeds to make it easier for men to speak up.

“Like Men’s Health Unlocked and our incredible Manbassadors at Active Leeds show, it’s so important to open up the conversation and give everyone the chance to get the right help at the right time.”

Victoria Eaton, Leeds City Council’s director of public health, said: “We’re pleased to see this new national strategy into men’s health and I’m proud our work in Leeds has played a part in influencing its content and priorities.

“There are differences in health needs for men, women, boys and girls and identifying and reducing these is a long-held commitment in Leeds; reflected in the different strategies we have across the city.

“This city is home to incredible organisations working to improve health and wellbeing for men and together we are committed to ensuring both men’s and women’s health needs are actively prioritised and met and, through this approach, look forward to continuing to build on the wide range of work we have done so far.”

To view the strategy visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mens-health-strategy-for-england

For more information on the Manbassadors at Active Leeds, visit: https://activeleedsoffers.co.uk/manbassador-programme/

For more information on Men’s Health Unlocked visit: Men's Health Unlocked - Forum Central

ENDS

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Leeds City Council communications and marketing,

Email: communicationsteam@leeds.gov.uk

Tel: 0113 378 6007