Content warning: suicide, mental health
Men facing mental health crises across Glasgow will continue to receive fast, compassionate support thanks to new volunteer training at Men Matter Scotland, a charity that supports more than 400 men every week through its community hub and suicide prevention services.
Formed and led by men with lived experience of mental health challenges, Men Matter Scotland provides immediate crisis support, peer-to-peer mentoring, talking groups, accredited counselling and wellbeing activities designed to help men manage their mental health and build lasting recovery.
The charity’s hub operates daily and supports hundreds of men, with an average of two new members joining in crisis every day.
Statistics show that their work has never been more important, with the most recent published figures from the National Records of Scotland showing that there were 518 probable male suicide deaths in Scotland in 2024.
The total number of suicides by both men and women that year was 704, making men around three times more likely to die by suicide than women.
With their service in high demand, volunteers are central to Men Matter Scotland’s work. Many service users become volunteers themselves, offering the peer support they once received and helping other men navigate difficult periods in their lives.
To ensure those volunteers are equipped to respond safely and effectively, the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust has awarded Men Matter Scotland £1,200 towards the cost of delivering Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). This nationally recognised suicide prevention training will help volunteers identify signs of suicide risk and intervene appropriately when someone is in immediate distress.
Jamie Rutherford, Director of Men Matter Scotland, said: “Volunteers are critical to our model of providing peer-to-peer support, helping the next guy that comes through the door. Having ASIST trained volunteers means we can deal quickly and compassionately with guys about to take their own life. Thanks to the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust we are able to put more volunteers through that training.”
David Facenna, Corporate Culture Director at Allied Vehicles Group, said: “Men Matter Scotland is making a real difference to the lives of men across Glasgow, often at the point when support is needed most. By helping more volunteers gain ASIST qualifications, this funding will strengthen the charity’s ability to respond to people in crisis and ensure more men receive the support they need when they need it.”
The additional training will help the charity to build a network of skilled volunteers capable of helping men in crisis and responding to suicide risk throughout Glasgow and beyond.
If you have been affected by the topics discussed in this article you can contact Men Matter Scotland via https://www.menmatterscotland.org/referrals, or you can speak to the Samaritans 24/7 by calling 116 123.
