Breaking down barriers with Calder Community Squash

Calder Community Squash founder, Aron, shares his motivations behind setting up sessions for men struggling with their mental health and how squash can give us a sense a purpose.

We were initially made aware of funding that became available through the Community Foundation for Calderdale. They were looking for ideas around projects that could help support men's mental health. After a bit of research, I was shocked to find that suicide is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45. That’s a scary fact and there’s no doubt that struggles with mental health have been further exacerbated by the pandemic.

"I have been on my own journey with mental health and have seen first hand the devastating effects it can have on a person and the people closest to them. Now in my 40's I have realised that the game means something more to me than it perhaps did in my 20's. It's a sense of purpose, an identity, a community, it’s meditative, a place to be amongst friends around a unifying theme."

There is also a power that lies within a game (maybe not on the surface but it’s there) and it has the ability to arm people with the tools to face whatever life may throw at them. Squash has helped me in immeasurable ways over the years. I want to pass this on and use this project to support others who may be in need of that extra bit of help.

The sessions are held at The Old Crossleyans Squash club in Halifax and are run for 90 minutes, with gentle warm ups and breathing exercises to begin with, followed by round robins with a few tips here and there from myself but nothing too technical. We want participants to feel fully immersed in the experience so try not to get too involved. We save the final half an hour for a brew and some sarnies. It’s a good chance to sit down and have a natter about the session and whatever else comes to mind.

We decided to work closely with local mental health services Andy’s Man Club and Healthy Minds Calderdale but the sessions are open to anyone that is interested in using sport as a way of building mental resilience.

The feedback has been really positive with all participants enjoying the session and returning for the next one. I think they particularly enjoyed the effort that I put into making the sandwiches!