Rugbyclubtrying hardtoendstigma

Dalziel Rugby Club will be holding an event early next month as part of a nationwide push to get people talking more openly about mental health.

The Motherwell sports club is taking part in Time to Talk Day, organised by See Me, Scotland’s programme to end mental health discrimination.

This year See Me is highlighting the importance of choosing to talk about mental health.

The rugby club will join thousands of other participating organisations and members of the public taking part on February 6.

Dalziel will be running a mixed age group touch rugby training session in the evening for players from P5 to seniors.

Senior players and coaches have volunteered to lead teams in informal discussions on how to start a conversation about mental health using ‘Would You Rather’ ideas from See Me.

Elaine Neilson, Communications Officer at Dalziel Rugby Club, said: “We are taking part in because mental health is a topic that we should all feel able to talk about.

Having these important conversations can make a big difference to many people. The more we talk, the more lives we can change.”

Celebrities including Game of Thrones actor, Daniel Portman, Stephen Fry and Des Clarke have shown their support for Time to Talk Day since its launch in 2014.

Wendy Halliday, interim director at See Me, said: “Mental health problems are common and can affect any one of us, yet too often people are afraid to talk openly about mental health for fear of being judged.

“It’s easy to think there’s no right place to talk about mental health. But the more we talk about it, the better life is for all of us and Time to Talk Day is a chance for everyone to open up – to talk, to listen, to change lives.”

For information about Time to Talk Day how you can get involved visit the website: seemescotland. org/movement-forchange/campaigns/timeto-talk