Brand and transformation agency Q Branch Consulting is helping prevent male suicide by joining forces with a lifesaving Nottingham charity dedicated to reaching out to men through “tough talking”.
Steve Whittle, founder of Nottingham-based male suicide prevention charity Tough To Talk, said Q Branch’s transformative work has helped save more men’s lives through clear visuals, strategy, and messaging along with powerful branding designed to help men open up about their feelings and encourage others to listen.
The charity helps prevent male suicide by working with organisations such as Thames Valley Police, delivering workplace-based ‘tough talks’ designed to break stigmas that stop men talking – and in doing so, save them before they are pushed beyond the brink.
Steve said Tough To Talk had successfully expanded its reach and delivered its work in many more organisations thanks to support from Q Branch Consulting, which was founded in February by life and business partners Jenny Jarvis and Matt Clutterham.
He said the charity had found a new clarity of vision and purpose through support from Q Branch, whose founders Matt and Jenny are dedicated to their vision of helping organisations thrive through a human-centred approach.
Matt, an award-winning former lighting designer turned branding consultant, who has been trained and mentored by some of the leading names in the field, has joined the charity as a trustee.
Q Branch has created a brand new strategy and powerful website featuring a huge range of information, including where to get help; blogs covering painful topics such as the effect of suicide on loved ones, and a highly valuable section outlining suicide warning signs such as social withdrawal; giving away possessions; taking more risks than usual, and developing poor selfcare.
The charity has also published its first book: #MANUP, which features testimonials from men who have bravely opened up about their feelings of depression and thoughts of suicide.
Steve, himself a survivor of three attempts to take his own life, said: “Q Branch has been instrumental in helping Tough To Talk by helping us realise our passion, our mission and our message: break the silence. Their help has helped us launch a new website and I’m confident that if our messaging had not been perfected by Jenny and Matt, we wouldn’t have cut through the noise and reached the organisations we have. Every organisation needs great branding and great messaging and Q Branch is helping us literally save lives through their work.”
Matt, who is a dedicated family man and has experienced his own personal journey through a breakdown and depression, said: “Male suicide is a big elephant in the room in today’s society in that not enough people are talking about it – yet 75 per cent of all suicides in the UK are male. Our approach as a business is about bringing out the best in human beings and helping them to be bold in today’s society. I want to use my skills to help men express their vulnerability and live happier lives.”
Steve said: “Things are just not getting better when it comes to male suicide. While it may appear that more men are talking, they are not the ones who are taking their own lives.
“We know that the majority of men who die by suicide are functioning adults. They have families, careers, all these things that are going on. When they take their own life, those around them are saying: ‘We never saw it coming’. Often they might reach out to one person before they die but it gets missed or dismissed.
“Lots of men are brought up to be quite strong. They may believe that most people don’t really care about them. We are losing 12 men a day to suicide. There are 16 suicides a day in England and Wales and 12 of those are men.”
Tough to Talk’s work involves working inside organisations in traditional male-centric areas such as construction, manufacturing and sports. The charity has also published a book, #MANUP, which features painfully honest accounts from male contributors who have bravely stepped forward to express their feelings surrounding depression and thoughts of suicide.
Matt said: “There are sound business principles around reaching out to men and helping them to talk, too. Through working with HR departments, we can prove that working on men’s mental health will dramatically improve productivity by significantly enhancing morale.”
Q Branch Consulting, which has branches in Derby and London, fuses the skills of Matt – an acclaimed former lighting designer turned brand strategist – and Jenny, a skilled life coach whose work has transformed many lives.
Q Branch Consulting has a main office in Pride Park, Derby, and a second location in central London.
To find out more about Tough to Talk and how to get involved through fundraising or hosting workshops, see www.toughtotalk.com
