Last Thursday, on World Mental Health Day, Derby County Community Trust hosted 'A Night with the Lads' at Pride Park Stadium. The evening was designed to get men talking about mental health and featured a performance from comedian Paddy Lennox and a Q&A with ex-ram's captain Jake Buxton and current Assistant Manager Richie Barker. 

World Mental Health Day takes place on 10th October every year. It is a day to come together to talk about mental health and bring the topic to the forefront of conversations. Talking is good for your mental health and talking about mental health is important. 

Hosted by familiar face and fan favourite, Rams TV's Owen Bradley, the event saw 60+ attendees, both male and female. Attendees had the opportunity to submit questions to both Richie and Jake on the topic of mental health and wellbeing. Richie and Jake told of their own personal experiences of mental health both within football and outside of football, in their personal lives. Questions included "How often do you talk to others about your mental health?", "What's your top tip to manage mental health?" and  "What's the best way for women in your life to support your mental health?".

"Thoroughly enjoyable and some great stories, advice and anecdotes from Jake Buxton and Richie Barker"- Attendee

The event was also a re-launch of the Trust’s male mental health programme, Team Talk. Team Talk is designed to provide a safe space for males to talk, relax and share experiences. It operates in city-wide hubs within community settings and aims to provide a support network to anyone who may need it. If needed, participants will be signposted to further medical support or intervention where necessary.

Luke Wilkinson, Health Team Leader at Derby County Community Trust said: “We were really proud to host this event on World Mental Health Day. We know that 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem in any given week in England and men generally report lower levels of life satisfaction than women, so it is extremely important to get our communities talking. Whilst this event was focused on male mental health, we recognised that people may need support to take that first step which is why we encouraged attendees to bring a family member or friend along. Thank you to Paddy, Owen, Jake and Richie for getting involved and supporting the event."

BBC Radio Derby's SportScene was also presented live from the event 6-6.30pm. You can listen to the coverage on BBC Sounds here for the next 20 days.