ABOUT
LADS & DADS

Established in Bridgend in 2019 by Rob Lester, Lads & Dads is an organisation that aims to support men with their mental wellbeing. For far too long men have found it difficult to access vital support for their mental health which is still a massive concern.

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When Rob was told he would have to wait three months for bereavement counselling he was confused as to how to look after his mental health until that point. In February, 2019, Rob lost his dad to pulmonary fibrosis, a degenerative lung disease. Rob got through the immediate week after, planning and speaking at the funeral, but as the days passed he properly came face-to-face with grief. Not wanting to allow himself to become consumed by the feeling, in early March 2019 Rob reached out to his GP who referred him to a bereavement charity. The charity, however, informed him they had no appointments available until June, three months later.

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Inspired by his own traumatic experiences and his growing awareness for male suicide rates, Rob used local Facebook groups to put out some feelers for a men's mental wellbeing group. After several positive responses from locals, Rob established Lads & Dads.

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Now in to it's sixth year, our group now has over 2300 active members with 9 committee members that work hard to ensure the group remains effective.

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Those in the group benefit from having large open conversations with people they don't even know, regular sea dips as well as organised wellbeing events in local community centres.