In this special episode for Mental Health Awareness Week, host Jade Hunter is joined by Professor John Tomaney, Dr. Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros, and James Fildes, founder of Space North East. Together, they explore a growing public health crisis: rising rates of male suicide in the UK, particularly in post-industrial regions like the North East.

This conversation examines how non-clinical, community-led interventions are filling critical gaps in mental health support for working-class men in the North East of England. Drawing on lived experience, academic research, and grassroots activism, this episode highlights the importance of belonging, place-based identity, and social infrastructure in men’s mental wellbeing.

Featured in this episode:

Host: Jade Hunter – Coordinator, UCL’s Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing

With special thanks to our guests:

Professor John Tomaney – UCL Bartlett School of Planning, Pro-Provost for Regional Communities

Dr. Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros – Research Associate and Honorary Research Fellow, UCL

James Fildes – Founder and Managing Director, Space North East

Resources:

Learn more about UCL Grand Challenges https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/

Visit Space North East https://spacenortheast.org/

Read about the project’s progress and future outputs via the Grand Challenges Mental Health and Wellbeing page https://www.ucl.ac.uk/grand-challenges/themes/mental-health-wellbeing