More than 200 people gathered on a powerful evening for Oxford United’s first mental health workshop as part of the Club’s campaign, Can We Talk?

In partnership with Oxfordshire Mind and the Joey Beauchamp Foundation, Des Buckingham, Will Vaulks, and more Men’s players took part in the event to help raise more awareness around mental health.

Delivered by the specialist team of experts at Oxfordshire Mind, the workshop enabled those in attendance to understand more about the mental health services available to them in the county and how they should access them.

It also provided information on ways for those in attendance to improve their own wellbeing, guiding people to Mind’s ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing‘, simple steps people can take every day to better their mental health. 

As part of the night, Will Vaulks, Luke Beauchamp, Oxfordshire Mind’s CEO Jess Willsher, and Des Buckingham held a conversation panel, as these inspirational voices spoke about their own experiences and how they manage their mental health. 

Finally, there was an uplifting opportunity where guests gathered around tables to discuss their takeaways from the evening and spoke openly amongst one another about their own mental health. 

This evening was part of the Club’s wider campaign, which launched on World Mental Health Day, with more details to follow on future events through this collaboration.

A massive thank you goes to all those in attendance, Oxfordshire Mind, the Joey Beauchamp Foundation, Oxford United in the Community, the stadium company for hosting the space, and those who bravely spoke in front of the group.

This conversation will continue as we come together as one to continue to say, We Can Talk. 

Free mental health support is available through Oxfordshire Mind, with 24-hour and 365 days a year help available nationwide through Samaritans.

To speak with Oxfordshire Mind, contact 01865 247 788.

To speak with Samaritans, contact 116 123.

To learn more about the Joey Beauchamp Foundation, please contact info@joeybeauchamp.org, or go to the website at joeybeauchamp.org.