Man Alive UK

06/06/2026

Shortly after Covid I set up a fund raiser so I could grow Man Alive further, into a Charity or CIC.

Those who have followed me for a long time, will know I suffered a number of serious PTSD episodes & long lasting mental health relapses, which stalled any plans to grow Man Alive.

I few years ago, I put out a post to explain that I wasn’t sure if I would be able to take Man Alive to the next level & if people wanted their donations back, then I’d like to return them. NOT ONE person asked for the donation back & the messages of support I received were incredible!

Fast forward a few more years & whilst I’m in the best place I’ve been in many years, my mental health continues to impact my daily life & my priority must be me, my amazing boys & incredible wife. Therefore,after much procrastination, I’ve decided I can’t take Man Alive to the next level. I wouldn’t be able to give it & those involved or may come to rely on it, 100% I also need to prioritise my own mental wellbeing.

I appreciate times are hard, so same message goes to those who may want their donations back. Please message me.

With what money I have remaining, I would like to split it between who’s men’s talking group I attend fortnightly, to my friend Sam who is doing the Cheltenham 10k for Mind & I would like suggestions for a 3rd Charity. I intend to bump up what I raised to £800, as a thank you 🙏

Thank you for reading & everyone’s continued support & belief in me. I’m sorry I couldn’t take my project further, but I’m supporting as much as I can, help local initiatives as I can & supporting a number of friends who are facing tough times in their lives.

Take care all, be kind & thanks 🙏

17/04/2026

This week has been a stark reminder, that mental illness in any form, can lie ‘dormant’ & catch you out when you least expect it!

I’ve been in a fairly good place for months, but this week something triggered me on Wednesday & I spiralled badly, PTSD blew up, dissociative episodes, depression…you get the gist! I’m confident that this episode won’t last too long, as I’ve come a long way & what would have lasted weeks or months in the past, will hopefully pass in a few days 🤞

Still no idea what the trigger was, but it’s be a really tough week. It’s been a reminder that I don’t think I will ever be fully ‘healed’ & that recovery isn’t linear. BUT, by continuing to work on myself & use my extensive toolkit, I will get through this s**t!

I’m blessed with having a lot of support with friends, colleagues & family. A special shout out to .101 However, I’m mindful that not everyone is as lucky.

Please remember to reach out if you’re struggling! There is a lot of support out there & below are a few numbers:

NHS - call 111
Samaritans - Call 116 123
SHOUT 85258 - Text SHOUT’ to 85258
Childline - Call 0800 1111
Mind - Call 0300 102 1234

This is not an exhaustive list & I also recommend which I attend every other Monday, at

Stay safe all, reach out, check in on people & be kind 💚

17/03/2026

Isn’t that the fu***ng truth!?

The frustration & exhaustion, when relapsing, can cause such internalised anger. The amount of energy put into recovery, masking & protecting those around you, is immeasurable!

With each relapse, I often feel like the energy reserves dip a little more too. It’s like a rechargeable battery in your phone or car, with each charge degrading the battery & its lifespan a little more!

A big fear/concern when relapsing, in my opinion, is the potential damage it may have on close family & friends. It’s this that I think can sometimes swing whether people choose to reach out or not. The fear of your mental illness affecting those you care about & damaging relationships, can be crippling & lead to the cycle of masking, not reaching out, burying things, isolating, avoidance & the ‘trappings’ that come with mental illness!

This is where education & how society treats mental illness, is of paramount importance, in helping people to feel like they can reach out!

It’s never easy reaching out, I’m still awful at times, as I think people must be fed up of hearing my s**t, BUT reaching out in the last 7 years has saved me…that’s the crux of it!

Please reach out if you’re struggling. Feel free to DM me if you want some help being sign posted to potential support in your area! Just to caveat, I’m not in anyway qualified to treat mental illness, I’m no expert & have no qualifications. However, I’m happy to help finding potential avenues of support in your area.

Stay safe all 👍💚

10/03/2026

Medication shortage warning!!!

Im not wishing to scaremonger, but if you take quetiapine (seroquel), please be aware that stocks are low in the UK! Another gift from Brexit 🤬

I take 400mg each night, have one dose left & can’t get 200mg or 50mg tablets anywhere! I’ve tried 7 pharmacies around Gloucester already & keep getting the same message, that suppliers are out of stock!

If you’re running low, bear in mind the above & speak with your GP 👍💚

08/03/2026

First post in a while but an important one!

I’ve come to realise over the years, just how important kindness & friendship is for mental wellbeing! More recently though, it’s become a lot more apparent in my life.

I am very blessed to have some incredible friends who are beyond supportive & kind! What I’ve come to realise is ‘friends’ aren’t necessarily people you have or do spend lots of time with. They are also people you may not know terribly well but who check in on you & remind you they are there ( always comes to mind, sorry if I’ve embarrassed you) & the guys at

Then there are my mates from school, who know me inside out, especially the two clowns Gambo ( & Krikee ) who we chat absolute s**t to each other everyday!

There are my colleagues too & an act of kindness from last week that will have a long lasting impact on me.

More recently there’s our family friend group that we’re spending time with! Us parents have a scream together & the kids have grown up together, mostly, & get on so well!

Like I said earlier, I’m very blessed to have such kind & supportive friends. If this is something missing from your life, there are SO MANY groups out there to support, offer company & help.

If you’re Gloucester based, then I recommend that I attend fortnightly 👍 If anyone wants to attend but feels uneasy about making that step, I’m more than happy to meet beforehand & support with that first step 👍❤️

Take care all, look after each other & reach out if you’re struggling 💚

04/02/2026

I went to this great group on Monday, based at every other Monday! I really recommend it to any guys who are struggling.

This week was different for me though, as I really struggled to vocalise how my demons have been present recently.

It’s been a strange few weeks. I’ve been pretty unwell, but weirdly the illness helped me identify a significant PTSD trigger, which led to a tough spell.

What’s frustrated me, is I’ve done something I’ve always encouraged people not to do…I’ve suppressed it, pretended I’m fine, clammed up & masked!

PLEASE remember to look after yourself! Reach out, don’t suppress s**t & ignore how you’re feeling mentally!

Stay safe all 👍💚

05/01/2026

have their first men’s mental health meeting of 2026, this evening (05/01/2026) at Longlevens Rugby Club! Meeting at 6:30 PM for a 6:45 PM start. I will be going along to chat & share. Take a moment to reflect!
- how are you feeling out of 10?

28/10/2025

08/05/2025

What an incredible thing for Paul to offer! If there is anyone in the Gloucestershire area interested, drop him a message 👍🏻❤️

As do ever year we try to give back to the community. We would like to offer one free sponsorship training package to a child who may have suffered or is currently suffering bullying, in care or if their family is not in a financial position to afford training fees. We will fully support your training & equipment/uniform for 1 year minimum. Any parent, guardian or carer can contact us via email [email protected] to apply. Many thanks.

24/04/2025

Unfortunately, this may be my last post & I may have to shut down my Man Alive group/page. I need to sleep on it, as I know it has helped some people, but today something happened which I’d never anticipated!

One of my eldest son’s friends liked my post from yesterday & started following my page. I was flattered that he’d followed my page but I panicked & immediately blocked him! Whilst I want to help young & old people alike, there is content that I have shared about my journey & illness that I don’t feel my 12 year old son is ready to hear from me or potentially secondhand, from his friends. My primary focus is protecting my sons in all facets of life & if that means removing this page, so be it.

I’m also in a really dark place at the moment, have been for some time. We recently bought a ‘new’ house & have been renovating it, which I have used as my focus & to block out my PTSD & dark s**t, but unfortunately there’s only so long that works.

There are also some self destructive coping mechanisms & choices in my life that I’m struggling with, which are a little out of control, & are impacting my relationship with my wife & two sons. So right now I really need to focus on me, my choices & most importantly my wife & sons. Despite all the energy I put into masking & shielding my sons, my eldest is picking up on my low mood, so I must focus on me & my family.

I’ll leave you with this meme, as it resonates with me at the moment.

Take care all & see you down the road 💚