The South Moreton Boxing Club has been run by John Houston for the past 17 years; covering 4 buildings with various items of equipment, since November 2022 the Club has become the central hub for The Cornermen.
John tells us more: “Since I started the Club, we have always had a wide variety of people through the door. However, after lockdown, I noticed that many more men who came along were talking about their anxiety, depression PTSD, substance, and alcohol abuse. I saw that there was a real need to try and do something to help with these problems, so I approached one of the members at the Club, Steve James, who has relevant experience of providing support services. Steve has many years of experience managing Support Services for the homeless charity Emmaus in Oxford.”
The startling statistic is that suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and according to the Oxfordshire Suicide Prevention Strategy 2020/24, 81% of local deaths from suicide were male. Of those, less than a fifth had a history of previous mental health care and over one-third had no mental health care at the time of death.
When John and Steve put their heads together, they came up with the idea of creating The Cornermen using the facilities provided at the Boxing Club as a meeting place. They then talked to various people in the field of mental health and suicide prevention who confirmed overwhelmingly that what they were proposing to do would be hugely beneficial to men living in and around Didcot.
“Didcot has expanded rapidly over recent years and continues to do so but there are insufficient support structures in place to deal with the mental health issues that come with the increased numbers of people living in the area,” Steve James explains. “This was visibly brought home to me when a young lad was stabbed outside my Didcot home. I had been looking to do something locally, having worked in Oxford for so long, so when John approached me with a similar idea it seemed the perfect time for us to do something. By bringing our joint expertise together and providing a unique space with trained staff to help men who are struggling we hoped that we could help improve the lives of men who felt they had nowhere to turn to.”
Together John and Steve started fundraising, initially launching a Crowdfunding appeal to raise £15,000 to launch the service and pay for staff costs. The Cornermen does not offer contact boxing but has created a stereo typical male environment of a boxing club to attract their beneficiaries. The aim is to create an environment where men can be listened to and befriended. Support workers are however listening out for anyone talking about feelings of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, along with a desire or increased capability for suicide. People are helped to formulate their own plans and are signposted to relevant services for ongoing support, with whom The Cornermen will continue to work.
Once at the Club they can take advantage of having a relaxing haircut whilst sitting on a traditional barber’s chair, get physical in the gym, take a leisurely walk along the nearby bridle paths, all in the company of a trained support worker who can offer them advice on how best to address the issues they are facing.
When The Cornermen was established, it was with the intention of Didcot being its main beneficiary. However, without active promotion, the word about the incredible work which Steve and John are doing has spread to other areas too. It is their long-term plan when sufficient grant funding has been achieved, to promote the service, building up partnerships and working with men who are struggling with suicidal feelings and their mental health. This will run concurrently with their volunteer and growth strategy in order they can keep up with increased demand.
“What has been so wonderful to witness is the peer support which is taking place,” says Steve. “The 54 members who are part of the Cornermen Community has already built a support community – so, as well as the individual sessions, our peer support groups have organised football tournaments, walking trips and are planning fishing trips. Men who no longer need the direct support have stayed with us to mentor other men!”
In order to expand the project, people are encouraged to run fundraising initiatives and The Cornerman has recently received a donation from the Didcot Powerhouse Fund. To find out more about the support available and how you can get involved, please visit thecornermen.org or Facebook The Cornermen, email info@thecornermen.org or contact 07552 189548.
