The SMSA is shocked and saddened to read the Probable Statistics 2023 released by the Scottish Government today (13th Aug 2024).
SMSA CEO Jason Schroeder said: “It is simply not acceptable that men’s health and wellbeing is not being taken seriously enough and male suicide rates continue to rise and Scotland has the highest rate of suicide deaths in the UK.
“Proper investment and support for the growth of the preventative, tried-and-tested, Men’s Shed model is imperative for a cultural change. I believe this year the Scottish Government Suicide Prevention budget will be doubled and looking at today’s statistics, we hope the suicide prevention decision makers in Scotland will take heed of this and suicide prevention core funding will come to the SMSA for the first time.
“Our Association, Scotland’s leading men’s health charity, exists to support the 10,000+ volunteers that run over 200 Men Shed groups currently open or developing across Scotland. The SMSA also initiates starting new Sheds especially in the most deprived areas of Scotland and in remote small towns, where men are feeling increasingly disconnected and lonely and this need exists.
“It is unfortunate that despite the huge amount of Scottish and worldwide research that has been carried out on this life-changing and life-saving Men’s Shed’s model and our real-life case studies on how Men’s Sheds positively impact on men and their families’ lives, that our charity has still had to fight year on year for funding from the Scottish Government to deliver our vital services.
“The last two financial years, we have thankfully managed to reverse an extraordinary decision to cut our funding entirely after garnering up immense support from the public and over 40 MSPs however still received no increase in funding since receiving a start-up grant in 2016 supporting five Sheds (£75,000). This minimal funding with no provision made for development plans and the cost-of-living crisis has cost the growth of the movement dearly. Whilst, our fantastic counterpart Associations in Ireland (1.2 million Euros) and Australia ($2.8 million) are fully recognised and receive the significant investment they deserve as leading forces in preventative action for men’s health.
“To put men’s health, wellbeing and suicide prevention at the forefront, we must raise awareness and move away from this inherited plight that men have found themselves with the ‘strong and silent’ type generic cultural model. Men’s Sheds have been in Scotland for 11 years now and should be seen as a key pathway in health – desperately required for the men of Scotland – to take control, express emotion, boost their health and wellbeing and support each other ‘shoulder to shoulder’ in a healthy, friendly and welcoming space within their communities.”