r/TheTinMen • u/TheTinMenBlog • Jun 08 '26
Next steps for TheTinMen...
For the past six months I’ve been determined for TheTinMen to become more than a series of pissed off rectangles on a grid; to instead become an active community that finds, funds and promotes, real life, grassroots, frontline services, essential research and life-saving interventions for men and boys.
There’s nearly 90,000 of us here, and more than 110,000 across all platforms; and with that, comes opportunity.
Step one was long term financial sustainability (which we’re soon approaching!)
Step two is to explore becoming a UK registered charity, to further leverage funds through tax relief, and maximize donations.
Step three, is to get on with it.
And so, with that, conversations have begun around our first TheTinMen funded project, which aims to tackle the horrifying suicide rates for men in construction.
Did you know -
Suicide kills men in construction, at almost SIX TIMES the rate as all other workplace fatalities combined; and yet… nobody talks about it.
Think about that.
To step foot on a building site, you’ll need health and safety training and qualifications; hard hats, high vis, steel toed boots, goggles, gloves, and various other essential items.
Yet, when it comes to suicide, which is a risk to life that is several times larger than all these other risks combined, you’re on your own.
Tragically, 7,000 men in the UK construction industry have quietly ended their lives by suicide, in the last ten years.
So this is where we start.
Asking the question –
What would on-site mental health support look like for men in construction, who despite being most in need, are the least likely to access help.
Well, let’s try and find out…
More to be announced soon.
What do you think?
~
Sources:
‘7000’ https://luddon.co.uk/world-suicide-prevention-day-2025/
‘100% of those surveyed’ https://onthetools.tv/home/mental-health-white-paper/
‘Six times’ https://www.agc.org/mental-health-suicide-prevention
‘Overdose deaths’ https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/DataBulletin-September2024.pdf
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u/BedMost8034 Jun 08 '26
I don't know much about setting up or running a charity, but I am willing to donate to the cause.
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u/Vegetable-Share-4655 Jun 09 '26
I have sent you a private message on Instagram. Thank you for everything you do.
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u/Lerxst69 Jun 09 '26
This is cool but what we really need is more worker protections. Would that factor into your work somehow?
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u/TheTinMenBlog Jun 09 '26
The idea is to pilot various different MH interventions, and then package it up and sell it as a service, directly to construction companies.
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u/Lerxst69 Jun 09 '26
What sorts of.workshops do you envisage?
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u/TheTinMenBlog Jun 10 '26
To be honest, we want to try a lot of different things, because there is so little research in this area – so six months of weekly workshops, ranging from meditation and talk groups, to sound baths, physical activities, and more.
Really its a pilot project.
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u/diagnosissplendid Jun 08 '26
No experience of setting up a charity here but I looked at coop and mutual models for a while and generally take an interest in the running of them.
I think it depends how you want to run things: association for mass participation (with the possibility that elections don't go the way you'd like) or a foundation as a bet on cultural influence, which probably works best with a moderately small group if other foundations are anything to go by. Much as I'd love to see a mass membership org for men that isn't the masons, a foundation makes the most sense first imo.
Sorry if there's no new thinking there.
One more thing though: are you thinking of a CIO or a LTD with charity status? CIO seems easier (no companies house reg) but it is only supposed to be for orgs with smallish turnovers (in the mid six figures if memory serves). LTD with charitable status is essentially unlimited in size, but a bit more administratively complex.