Raising Awareness of Male Lives Lost to Suicide
Rugby clubs are more and more aware of mental health issues and the risk of male suicide and often provide real support and an extended family for their players.
Lately, however, during the global pandemic, that support has not always been readily available to team mates who may be struggling.
Mental health and suicide prevention is high on Movember’s list of major campaigns, with players like England’s Jonny May, complete with his Movember ‘tache, gracing the nation’s TV screens.
For one group of rugby friends, the issue has become very close to their hearts and they have raised more than £42,000 for Movember in loving memory of former team mate 19-year-old Zak McMorran.
“We’ve all been devastated by hearing Zak has died,” said Will Jenkins, who played alongside Zak for Stratford-on-Avon RFC and King Edward VI Grammar School.
“He was always such a physically strong, determined and focused team mate. We want to raise awareness of men's mental health issues and how it can affect even the bravest and most resilient of us.”
Zak played junior rugby at Stratford from 2013 to 2017 and then, having been out of the area during his sixth form years, returned to play senior rugby with the club in 2019. During his junior years he represented Warwickshire County and Scottish Exiles for the Midlands Region.
Neil Davis, one of the coaches with Zak’s junior squad, recalls: “Once on the pitch, Zak turned from this reserved lad into a midfield brick wall, relishing his defensive duties and delivering tackle after tackle. He was also a strong offensive runner. Zak was a credit to the age group and the club. Having his name on the team sheet gave the rest of the team a lift, and he will be proudly remembered by the whole age group, as recently described, by one of the lads, as ‘a warrior and one of us.'”
Park supporting CALM
At Rosslyn Park FC the first team have been walking, running or cycling to raise money for CALM - Campaign Against Living Miserably. The Rosslyn Park Lockdown 2.0 Movement Challenge is supporting the charity which has Joe Marler as an ambassador and has, since the beginning of lockdown in March, answered 84,954 calls and chats and directly prevented 282 suicides.
It costs £8 to fund a potentially life-saving call with CALM and the squad’s original aim was to cover 4,300km and raise £4,300 over lockdown in memory of the 4,300 male lives lost to suicide each year. They smashed that target in the first two weeks and are now aiming for 8,600km.
Kieran powers Rosslyn Park Director of Rugby said: “Mental Health is something that has affected our group as well as many others through these recent times. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives. And 75% of all UK suicides are male. If we can keep fit and at the same time help CALM to give essential support the effort will have been very worthwhile. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives and some 75% of all UK suicides are male.”
The other charity benefitting from the Rosslyn Park Lockdown 2.0 Movement Challenge is Cancer Research UK. Discover more and donate here.
