Mental health champion from Potton wins BBC Three Counties Make A Difference Award

A Potton man is celebrating after winning a Make A Difference Award from BBC Three Counties Radio.

Luke Newman, founder of men's mental health group For Men To Talk, received the Volunteer Award for his positive impact in the local community.

The ceremony was held recently at the Grove Theatre, Dunstable, and was set up at the start of the first lockdown to "recognise remarkable people, marking their achievements and contributions".

Luke said: “To win this award is a testimony to every single man who has attended our meetings, no matter if they come regularly or just the once.

“I am so proud and honoured of myself and them on what we have achieved so far.

"To win is just incredible, this is our award, not mine. It’s a further statement to get men talking.”

Luke was nominated by attendees of For Men To Talk earlier this year, and a panel of journalists then shortlisted him with just three other people in the Volunteer Category.

Luke set up the support group after suffering from grief and anxiety after the losses of his mother Jen Newman, aged 54, in 2005 and his sister Heidi Melrose, aged 44, in 2015.

He felt that he could always talk to family and friends about how he was feeling, but knew that it was hard for others, especially men to do so - he wanted to provide a safe place for men to simply talk.

Luke told the Chronicle: “I formed For Men To Talk back in December 2019 and since then I’ve worked extremely hard to publicise the group in what I am trying to achieve”

“It’s for men not to feel alone in their mental health journeys and that the meetings are a safe and comfortable environment for them to be open and talk about how they are feeling.”

The group now has nine meetings in total per month, in Biggleswade, St.Neots and Cambourne in Cambridgeshire, including virtual meetings via Zoom.

You can find out more about For Men To Talk via www.formentotalk.co.uk and its social media channels.

Meanwhile, to date, over eight million people have interacted in the BBC's Make A Difference Awards across all 39 of its local radio stations.