Mental Health Awareness Week - WTF Does That Have To Do With Snowboarding & Motorbikes?

We mark Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May, UK) by sharing our own very on-brand actions: a black-tie charity ball in London, donations to two youth mental health charities, and a group ride with near-strangers for the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride in Guildford. Along the way we get honest about male friendship, vulnerability, and why it's weirdly hard to make mates in your 50s and 60s. We close out with the Mental Health Foundation's Top 10 practical tips and score ourselves on how many we're actually doing.Key TakeawaysActivity creates connection; men in particular open up when united around something physicalMaking friends as an older adult is awkward, and that's normal; push through it anywayThe Top 10 aren't a checklist; pick what works for you, and use them to support others tooShared experience > proximity; it's not having friends, it's actually spending time with themTimestamps00:09 — Welcome & intro: Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 theme is Action00:45 — The charity ball: Stop Breathe Think; free, instant counselling for under-21s who can't afford it02:10 — Snow Camp: using skiing & snowboarding to build life skills and support young people's mental health02:36 — What is the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride? Retro bikes, vintage threads, raising funds for prostate cancer research and men's mental health (Movember)04:53 — The Guildford ride by numbers: 1,392 riders, ~£100k raised, second biggest ride in the world this year06:00 — The friendship backstory: why socialising with people your own age gets complicated over the decades09:40 — Making new friends in your 60s: the vulnerability of putting yourself out there and why it's worth it13:00 — What the ride unlocked: deep conversations, a WhatsApp group, and plans for future rides together14:30 — Top 10 Mental Health Foundation tips begin14:30 1. Plan something to look forward to16:45 2. Eat well, avoiding sugar spikes and cortisol crashes18:00 3. Get closer to nature, daily walks, woods vs pavements19:13 4. Get good sleep, told straight20:00 5. Get creative, a guitar deadline and a hired drummer at the ball21:36 6. Move regularly, steps, yoga, Pilates, high-intensity cycling22:30 7. Try mindfulness, hot yoga, barefoot on grass, being present24:01 8. Make time for friends, shared experiences vs an unused contact list25:00 9. Be kind, gratitude and appreciating small moments25:45 10. Talk things over;  courage, survival mode, and the friends who've sat through it allhttps://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-weekhttps://gentlemansride.com/https://www.stopbreathethink.org.uk/