Today is International Men’s Day, which celebrates the positive value men make to the world, families and communities, as well as recognises the issues they often face, including around homelessness, suicide and more.

Members of our Men’s Advocate Nexus meeting for the first time in April, where they discussed issued affecting wellbeing and had a game of cornhole.

Planning Manager Lewis has been a key member of our new support group for men’s wellbeing, the Men’s Advocate Nexus. He shares more on what sparked him to get involved and what the group has been up to:

Lewis, Planning Manager

“I joined NWAS over two years ago and quickly noticed a gap in our wellbeing offer for male colleagues, despite men making up almost half of our workforce.

“This surprised me, given the fantastic work already happening through health and wellbeing initiatives, staff networks – including our Women’s Network – and the progress other NHS providers have made in this area.

“My passion for men’s health comes from wanting to educate myself, support others, and prepare for life’s challenges. If I can have one conversation today or ten years from now that helps someone take the first step towards better wellbeing, then I will have achieved what I set out to do.

“With support from the Health and Wellbeing team and the NWAS Charity, in 2024 we launched our Men’s Advocate Nexus – a group open to anyone interested in men’s health and wellbeing, not just men.

“So far, we’ve brought together over 30 like-minded colleagues, held our first away day in April 2025 and hosted several webinars. We have more of these planned, as well our next away day for 2026, and are looking at how we can better work with our other staff networks like our Women’s and Armed Forces Networks.

“We know this work matters. Together, we can create an environment where men feel comfortable to share, talk, and seek help.”