Rugby MP Mark Pawsey has expressed his delight that a local mental health campaign has been named regional champion in a prestigious competition to mark the NHS’s 70th birthday. ‘It Takes Balls to Talk’ will now go forward to represent the Midlands and East Region in the Healthier Communities Award category at the NHS70 Parliamentary Awards.
‘It Takes Balls to Talk’ is a mental health campaign which uses sporting themes to encourage people, particularly men, to talk about how they feel. Founded by mental health nurse Alex Cotton through NHS Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust, it works closely with local sporting organisations to tackle male suicide, the leading cause of death amongst men aged death in men under 45.
Having been named champions by senior regional NHS experts, they will now vie with other regional winners from across England for the national award, to be presented at a special ceremony in the Palace of Westminster in July.
Mark nominated the group as part of the NHS70 Awards, which is recognising outstanding individuals and groups who contribute tirelessly to the NHS to mark the health service’s 70th birthday. Mark met with Alex and members of ‘It Takes Balls to Talk’ at the Old Laurentians Rugby Club to find out more about the campaigns work and to back them for these awards.
Mark said:
“I am delighted that the incredible work of ‘It Takes Balls to Talk’ has been recognised and that they will represent the Midlands in Parliament on July 4th 2018. Alex and the other members of the campaign are really making a difference to the lives of people throughout Coventry and Rugby by helping them to open up about mental health issues, which affect roughly 1 in 4 people in the UK.”
Mark continued:
“I know that everyone in will be proud that ‘It Takes Balls to Talk’ have been named regional champion. They are representing the thousands of staff and volunteers who work day in, day out across our area to shape, deliver and support health and care services. We’ll all be backing them to win the national award in on 4th July.”