How Men's Pie Club is Fighting Male Loneliness
Spread across the North East and Yorkshire (with plans to go even further afield), Men's Pie Club is working with men to prevent loneliness
Living North speaks to Programme Manager Chris Smith to find out how Men’s Pie Club, which was founded in Newcastle, has been helping men build confidence and connections across the North East (and the country). A simple cookery club producing hearty, homemade pies once a week, Men’s Pie Club has exploded in popularity, offering men a calm and open space to connect without any pressure.
How did Men’s Pie Club begin?
It started 2018 after there was a call out looking for projects to engage men to reduce social isolation and improve wellbeing. It’s quite a tangible way to get men through the door and get them talking and spending time together. We began in Newcastle and we still have a strong presence here, but we’ve gradually grown it across North and South Tyneside and Gateshead. We’re now further afield into Tees Valley and into Leeds as well. We really want to get to the point where we’re a presence in all parts of the UK and beyond really.
Tell us about the issue of male isolation.
The focus needs to be not just on people who are at crisis point or who have identified a problem, we want to be a positive preventative project that appeals to everyone. By coming to Pie Club it doesn’t mean that you’ve identified yourself as being vulnerable or having a major set of concerns in your life – you’re stopping yourself from getting to that point and just doing nice things with other people. Ultimately there aren’t a lot of projects that work that way. Things tend to be geared at the wrong end of the spectrum.
Why pie?
It’s a very flexible medium. You can make it as elaborate as you want, you can make it as simple as you want, and it resonates with all ages – whether it’s through football, whether it’s through grandma’s recipe or whether it’s through Masterchef. I think without getting too abstract about it, when you look at a club working well it’s almost a pie – you’ve got this wrap around pastry which is the support and togetherness, but the guys themselves fill it and make it what it is.
Tell us about the success of the clubs.
We’re now up to 34 clubs with more than 400 member and 40 or so volunteers, so that in itself is a massive success story from a very simple idea seven years ago. One of the successes is that men have been coming consistently for such a long time that they now see this as a positive part of their week. That in itself is a massive success. We’ve seen men come through this project, start off not very confident and a bit awkward about being there, and they’ve come full circle and they are now leading their own clubs and becoming ambassadors for us. When that happens it’s incredible.
What can new members expect?
A warm welcome and a very informal space that’s respectful and within our values. Genuinely there’s no counselling side to it, there’s no big questions, and no one’s going to ask you to share any big things about yourself. It is just a group of guys coming together. The food angle is there as a way to break the ice. People have a task to do at the club so you can just come in and crack on with that side of it. There’ll be a cup of tea or coffee there for you, and no obligation to share anything beyond that really.
What are your future aspirations for Men’s Pie Club?
Essentially this year the big focus in the immediate is we’re looking at some Northumberland clubs – we’re looking at rural locations as well as urban locations. We’ve got a few more clubs happening in County Durham and across the immediate North East. Also our Tees Valley partners are looking at at least another four or five clubs across the Tees Valley, stretching from County Durham all the way through Middlesbrough and down into North Yorkshire. Also quite exciting is we are working at getting a firm handful of clubs going in London this year.
What would you say to someone struggling with loneliness?
Take that first step, whether that’s just an email or text to the details on our website just to find out a bit more. It will be one of us that gets back to you, and that will be done quickly. There’s no obligation and it’s a very light touch. Get yourself along, pop in and again it might be for you, you might love it and you might come every week from then on. But if it’s not for you then that’s absolutely fine. At least you’ve made that first step into getting out and about, and that’s what’s most important.
If anyone wants to get involved as a volunteer or club sponsor then that would be fantastic. We’re always looking for partnerships with local businesses who can provide funding or other kinds of support.
