Bryn Abbott
Bryn & Paul's 24-hour Men's Mental Health TALKATHON
Fundraising for Mercy United Kingdom
Story
**UPDATE!** Scroll down to see our current guest line up!
Bryn Abbott & Paul Marshall are raising money for Men’s Mental Health by doing something terrifying…
“We could have jumped out of a plane. Or climbed a mountain. Or wrestled a crocodile. But we decided to do something far scarier: talk about mental health non-stop for 24 hours and live-stream it all.”
Bryn and Paul will be joined by an exciting lineup of guests, interviews, call-ins, games and live music while they take a deep-dive into their own personal journeys (including terrorist attacks, the military, fatherhood and leadership).
We’ll be talking to a broad spectrum of characters from the professional psychologist to the professional barber; from those battling mental health on the football pitch to those battling it on the school run.
AIM:
We are aiming to raise £20k for Mercy UK which will provide up to 400 hours of FREE counselling for Men going through our Freedom Course: a FREE 16 week programme which includes access to counselling and other specialised support.
The support that Mercy UK offer to is needed now more than ever. The statistics around men’s mental health in the UK are shocking. Suicide is the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50 and 4 in 10 men have NEVER spoken to someone about their mental health. 40% of men say it’d take self-harm or suicidal thoughts for them to seek professional help.
This fundraiser is part of The Big Christian Mental Health campaign which is run by Mercy UK, a Christian Mental Health charity. Throughout 2024 we want to break the taboo and remove the stigma around mental health and normalise Christ-centred support.
WHO THE HECK ARE BRYN & PAUL?!
Bryn Abbott is the Director of Development for Mercy UK. His parents were missionaries and he grew up in the mountainous regions of rural Pakistan. That chapter of his life closed following a fatal terrorist attack at the school he attended. He has five children and continually navigates feelings of overwhelm as a father, husband and member of the Senior Leadership Team at Mercy UK.
Paul Marshall is one the Freedom Course Facilitators at Mercy UK. He spent several years in the military, which included some really challenging encounters. When he reflects on this period of his life, he’s aware of how much his love of adventure and death-defying thrill-seeking was ultimately a form of escapism and now channels this energy into the bravery and courage needed to face the everyday challenges we all navigate.
**GUEST LINE UP**
Current Line-up:
10am – Canon Andrew White (aka. 'The Vicar of Baghdad'): Trauma of war and fighting for peace in the Middle East
11am – John Keenan (Podcaster & Personal Trainer): Mental health in boxing and combat sports
11.40 – Live UCB Interview
12pm – Will Van Der Hart (Author & Chaplain): Writing a book on mental health with Bear Grylls
1pm – James Ray (Author & CEO of XCC): Adventure and his new book ‘Responsibility’
2pm – Trevor Tucker (Podcaster & Freedom Course Participant): His personal faith and mental health journey
3pm – Paul Benger & Lucy Buckley (Ground Level Network): Mental health 'fitness'
4pm – Rob Harvie (Mountain Rescue Team): Male suicide and the power of listening.
5pm – Billy Crabtree (Musician & Song Writer) :Live music and talking about his family's journey
6pm – John Kelsall (Osteopath): Live Osteopath session with talking about his experience with an eating disorder
7pm – Martyn Edwards (Business Man & Extreme Athlete): Using faith and extreme sport to aid mental health
8pm – Rev. Andy Taylor (Pastor): Burnout and the power & trauma of silence
9pm – Pastor Darren Farmer (Author & Pastor): Restoration & healing for pastors
10pm – Dr. Rob Waller (Consultant Psychiatrist): The NHS, Psychosis & Suicide
11pm – Jonathan Clark (Director for Premier Lifeline): Who reaches out, and what stops people doing it?
12am – Bryn Abbott (Director of Development, Mercy UK): Overwhelm and being in a terrorist attack
1am – Paul Marshall (Freedom Course Facilitator, Mercy UK): The army and danger as a form of escapism
2-4am – Prayer time
5am – Dave Quak (Bipolar Pastor & Podcaster from Australia): Being a pastor with Bipolar
6am – Steve Sturman (Consultant and CMF Associate): Neurology the physical reaction to phycological trauma
7am – Tony Wilsher (CEO of It’s OK not to be OK): The Militarty, mental health and Jesus’ healing power
8am – Dr. Delroy Hall (Counsellor with expertise in moral injury): Moral injury, gaslighting and working with minority groups
9am – Paul & Bryn reflect & wrap up!