Flaming unicorns: The rugby team getting people talking
In some walks of life, men talking about their mental health is as rare as a flaming unicorn.
It’s something that Stuart Bratt and Alex Harrison are endeavouring to change, one rugby game at a time.
The Flaming Unicorns are a travelling social rugby team, made up of players from around the UK, who visit and play at clubs while starting conversations about mental health.
The team was born in 2021 after Bratt’s charity, Tough Enough to Care, ran a fundraising tournament called ‘Tough Enough to Play’.
From there, both a men’s and women’s team were established, with players from clubs across the country who resonated with the open and honest conversations about mental health that the charity encouraged.
Honorary unicorns
Bratt said: “Our teams originally planned to play fixtures two or three times a year – but we’ve played about 12 fixtures so far this year!
“Every time we play at a club, we invite their players to become honorary unicorns who are welcome to play in any of our future fixtures. Through this and word of mouth, we’ve got about 200 people in our WhatsApp group now who all want to step out in the Unicorns colours.
“We’ve played games all across the country, from North Yorkshire down to Southampton. Someone’s even asked for a fixture in Spain!
“We want to get away from the stigma of people thinking they just have to crack on and play. We want people to know that it’s okay to say, ‘I’m feeling rubbish’.
“We always share our experiences when we’re at clubs, so people feel safe to share theirs.”
Starting conversations
As well as playing fixtures on their visits to clubs, the Flaming Unicorns offer mental health training, access to peer support groups, and guidance and resources on mental health and helping others who are struggling.
To date, the charity has delivered over 3,500 hours of free mental health training and supported over 9,000 people who have accessed their mental health services.
The team is also linking up with another rugby mental health charity, Looseheadz, with a fixture planned for February next year to help raise funds for their common mission.
Anyone interested in a fixture with the Flaming Unicorns, or who wants to access the support offered by Tough Enough to Care can contact the charity via their website.
