York: Menfulness wins gold at the charity film awards

Menfulness took the top spot at the charity film awards in Leicester Square - London - on March 20. They won the "Under £100,000" category with the film "One More Day", topping "What is organ donation?" in second and "Volunteering with RefYouMe" in third.

Founded in May 2022, Menfulness aims to encourage men to speak to each other and try to break down the barriers to accessing counselling, and combat the statistics around male suicide. They hold events, activities and counselling to help support men’s wellbeing.

In 2023, they were named Best Community Project at The Press' Community Pride awards.

Their film "One More Day" was created from a poem written by their member Matt Kelly, as a memorial to all who have been lost to suicide. The film was made by charity member Johnny Mennell from John Francis Films, with support from James Buck Films.

Trustee and co-founder Jack Woodhams starred as the father and young actor, and Adam Kane as the son.

Co-founder, Jack Woodhams, being interviewed at the awards night (Image: Supplied)

Menfulness also reached out to those connected to the charity and asked if anyone would like to commemorate their loved one as part of the video, their photographs shared with the permission of their family members are featured at the end of the film.

Explaining the inspiration behind the film, Jack Woodhams said: "We’ve all been affected by suicide, specifically male suicide.

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"I’ve got too many men in my phonebook, specifically dads that have lost sons to suicide."

"We asked people to send photos in of loved ones to commemorate, at least 40 responded within two weeks just in York.

"I burst into tears, some of them were photographs of my friends."

Jack also went on to describe the awards night at the Odeon cinema in Leicester Square, exclaiming: "it doesn't get much bigger than that!"

Looking back on the charities growth over the past couple of years, Jack said: "The success of Menfulness has been due to the women in our lives who have encouraged their husbands or grandads to access our support, it’s a partnership with everyone to help support guys.

"Realising you aren’t alone, and that most people are carrying a load, seeing people and realising they’re going through the same thing can be a huge help.

"Even just sharing that video with other people will spark a conversation."

The volunteer ran charity noted that they're open to sponsorship from local business, as they continue to strive for growth. Jack also called on people wanted to become a member, organise a fundraiser, or simply just learn more about the work of Menfulness on their website.

• The Samaritans say that whatever you're going through, you can call them for free, at any time, from any phone, on 116 123.