Sponsored by House of Commons Deputy Speaker Judith Cummins MP, the event brought to life real stories of men around mental health, suicide, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, fatherhood and more.
Our Director of Community Emma Goldsmith and Head of Wellbeing Programmes Keith Senior were warmly welcomed by MPs, our partners Movember and the other guests at the Westminster event, which builds on the Government’s plans for a first-ever Men’s Health Strategy that was announced last year.
Emma Goldsmith said: “We were thrilled to be involved in the launch of the Movember Men’s Health Lounge and delighted that our work supporting mental health across rugby league communities was recognised by the Parliamentarians.
“Judith Cummins, David Baines MP, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group and the charity’s great friend and supporter Kimn Leadbetter, MP for Batley, were all fulsome in their praise of RL Cares.
“Through our partnership with Movember and delivery of programmes like Ahead of the Game and Offload, we have made huge strides in tackling issues around men’s health but there is so much more we can all do.
“RL Cares remains committed to supporting people – men, women and youngsters – in our communities and working collaboratively with all stakeholders to forge better health outcomes for everyone.”
The launch event revealed that two in five men in the UK will die before their 75th birthday; that men in England are three times more likely to die by suicide; and that a boy born in the UK in 2021 can expect to live four years less than a girl.
If you share our aim of seeing these statistics change, please spend 10 minutes giving your thoughts into the Government’s consultation on what should be included in the new national Men’s Health Strategy.