This important day is marked once a year here in the UK.
A campaign ran by mental health awareness initiative Time To Change, its aim is to change the way people think and act about mental health problems, by breaking down the stigma and encouraging conversations.
And with the latest studies by leading mental health charity MIND revealing that more than half of adults (60%) and over two thirds of young people (68%) said their mental health has deteriorated over lockdown, #TimeToTalk day couldn’t be more crucial for Mancunians this year.
We know that talking about mental health is not always easy.
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But starting a conversation doesn’t have to be awkward, and being there for someone can make a huge difference.
While it’s true that there is no right way to talk about mental health, and just the act of starting a conversation itself could have a significant impact on someone who needs it, that doesn’t mean we always confident approaching the subject, which is why Time To Change is here to help.
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These top five tips will guide you along to make sure you’re lending a hand in a helpful way.
It's #TimeToTalk Day! A small conversation about mental health has the power to make a big difference.
We know that the more conversations we have, the more myths we can bust and barriers we can break down.
This one may seem like it goes without saying, but asking questions can give the person space to express how they’re really feeling and what they’re going through.
It will also help you to understand their experience better.
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Try to ask questions that are open and not leading or judgemental, such as – “How does that affect you?”, or “What does it feel like?” – and then make an effort to listen intently to their responses.
2. Time & Place
Giving careful thought and consideration to the time and place of a conversation can be truly invaluable.
Sometimes it’s easier to talk side by side rather than face to face, so if you do talk in person, you might want to chat whilst you’re doing something else, like walking, cooking, or even stuck in traffic, for example.
But don’t let the search for the perfect place put you off.
3. Don’t Try to Fix It
It can often be hard to see someone you care about having a difficult time, but it’s encouraged that you try to resist the urge to offer quick fixes to what they’re going through.
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Learning to manage or recover from a mental health problem can be a long journey, and they’ve likely already considered lots of different tools and strategies, which is why just giving them the opportunity to talk can be really powerful.
So unless they’ve asked for advice directly, it might be best just to listen.
4. Treat Them The Same
It’s important to remember that when someone has a mental health problem, they’re still the same person as they were before, and that means that when a friend or loved one opens up to you about mental health, they don’t want to be treated any differently.
If you want to support them, just keep it simple – do the things you’d normally do.
5. Be Patient
No matter how hard you try, some people just might not be ready to talk about what they’re going through, and that’s ok – the fact that you’ve tried to talk to them about it may make it easier for them to open up another time when they feel comfortable.
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And there’s a lot of other things you can do to support them even if you’re not talking too:
Doing things together.
Sending a text to let them know you’re thinking of them.
Offering to help with day-to-day tasks.
Andrew Neel / Pexels
Are you finding lockdown tough?
If you or anyone you know is struggling right now, please know that you are never alone and there are many different places you can reach out to for support right here in Greater Manchester.
Suffering in silence never need be the way – there’s always #TimeToTalk
Manchester Mind – An organisation that has supported people in Manchester for over 30 years. Most services are now available over the phone, by email or video call. The number is 0161 769 5732 and the opening hours are Monday – Friday, 10am – 2pm.
The GM Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – The local NHS helpline is open 24/7 which you can call any time, day or night, if you feel your mental health is beginning to suffer: 0800 953 0285.
Andy’s Man Club – A group dedicated to starting conversations about mental health, assuring people that it’s ok to talk. You can contact them by email on: [email protected].
CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably supports people via phone and webchat. You can call 0800 58 58 58 or speak to a support worker online. Open 5pm – midnight.
Samaritans – The Manchester & Salford Samaritans offer emotional support by telephone and email. The phone lines and email support are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or visit the website.
It's #TimetoTalk Day and this year's theme is the power of small. We know that small conversations about mental health can make a big difference and would encourage you to join us and @TimetoChange to reach out to your friends, family & colleagues today and check if they are okay pic.twitter.com/JisJ6TV6Np
— Manchester Mind #NeverMoreNeeded (@ManchesterMind) February 4, 2021
Another great resource we recommend checking out is Manchester’s very own Feel Good Club.
The movement – which started humbly as an Instagram page, filled with uplifted messages and top tips by founders Kiera and Aimie Lawlor-Skillen – is aimed at normalising the stigma around mental health and has since flourished into a successful platform of 187K+ followers. So successful in fact, that it saw the pair go on to open a brand-new wellbeing-focused cafe in the heart of the Northern Quarter in October of last year, which has remained open for takeaway services throughout this third national lockdown to provide a freshly-brewed cup of coffee and some support where needed.
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The Manc Group is also here to help too.
There are real people behind our platforms, and our DMs are always open, so we encourage you to drop us a message should you ever need a chat and we will be more than happy to help point you in the right direction towards the best help possible.
And remember, no matter how many times it may have been said before, it cannot be said enough – it’s okay not to be okay, and your emotions are always valid.
We got this, Manchester.
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Didsbury favourite Rustik has confirmed its will sadly be closing this month
Danny Jones
West Didsbury favourite Rustik has sadly announced it will be closing for food after a decade at the end of this month.
The beloved Burton cafe and bar has been a staple of the tight-knit foodie neighbourhood since 2015, but now the independent Irish eatery has confirmed that the business will be shutting down permanently in less than a fortnight.
Confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, 17 September, the casual Manc restaurant and hangout informed their loyal followers of the unfortunate news.
Unsurprisingly, their social media has been awash with condolences, collective sadness and support for the local institution.
Posting across all of their accounts, Rustik wrote: “After an unforgettable 10 years on Burton Road, the time has come to close our doors. It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come — never in a million years did we imagine Rustik would grow into what it became.
“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to every single one of you who walked through our doors and supported us along the way. We poured everything we had — our time, our energy, our lives into making Rustik a space for everyone. And what a ride it’s been.
“From the chaotic, beautiful brunch shifts to late nights dancing on tables to ‘Wagon Wheel’, pushing through the challenges of COVID and helping our community with meals during hard times— we’ve done it all, together.
“To our amazing staff, past and present: thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and the love you brought every single day. You helped build something truly special, and we’ll never be able to thank you enough.
“To the incredible musicians who filled our space with life — keep doing what you do. The noise complaints? 100% worth the unforgettable nights.”
The team go on to detail that the official closing date is Tuesday, 30 September, reiterating that it is “business running as usual until then” and urging fans to “come down, grab your last Rustik fix, and raise a glass with us one final time.”
Signing off with an emotional farewell, they add: “Lastly, a message close to our hearts: please support your local cafes, bars, and independents. Hospitality is tough right now, and they need your support more than ever.
“Thank you for the most incredible decade of our lives. It’s over and out from us.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted to see Rustik go and know how much it meant not only to the Burton Road community, but also to the Didsbury community, Chorlton and many other Greater Manchester natives.
Review | Villanelle debut: Liam Gallagher’s son’s band release their first track – here’s our review
Danny Jones
Liam Gallagher’s son, Gene, and his band Villanelle, have officially released their debut single to the masses, and since we’re still very much immersing ourselves in everything even remotely to do with Oasis, we thought we’d give this first track a review.
Now, if you’re expecting a familiar Britpop vibe like his dad and uncle used to bash out back in the day, you’d be very wrong…
It’s one thing to settle into something similar to what you’ve grown up around and try to continue a lineage if you’re from a successful family – especially with a legacy as important and influential as the one left by Liam and Noel – but we’re glad to report they’ve done something pretty different.
24-year-old Gene Gallagher and his bandmates Ben Taylor (guitar), Jack Schiavo (bass), and Andrew Richmond (drums) haven’t just tried to do an impression of Oasis; instead, they’ve found their own sound, and while it does give somewhat of an old-school flavour, it’s not what we expected.
It takes literally milliseconds for you to click into realising the vibe they’re going for.
‘Hinge’ is a simplistic but hard-hitting, grungey and dark debut from Villanelle, who, despite having played a number of in-progress songs live over the last year or so, have only just dropped their first studio single.
In fact, they’ve actually taken the admittedly bizarre and unorthodox first steps of having already played live with Liam Gallagher on the Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour before they actually released anything people can easily listen to outside of their live performances.
Nevertheless, the young four-piece introduces Villanelle as the latest post-punk outfit amidst the ongoing revival of the classic rock genre.
That is to say that punk is a tried and true classic style of music, not that these lads are trying to sound like The Rolling Stones…
Anyway, we’re getting sidetracked: Villanelle draw plenty of influences from both original and contemporary examples of this sonic subculture, and while it isn’t explosive per se, ‘Hinge’ is short, direct and hits the same formulaic notes.
It’s also fair to say you can hear a bit of the recognisable LG whine in Gene’s vocals at times, too. Listen to it in full down below and see if you agree.
Even the basic found-footage style video fits into the same category.
To call it straightforward isn’t intended as any kind of a diss, by the way – some of our favourite tunes and best artists spearheading the renaissance of the punk scene write like this.
What we will say is that it looks like bloody good fun to both play and listen to in a small, sweaty room, with plenty of pits and people bouncing off the walls.
Gallagher Sr. might be surprised to see his son going for a slightly heavier, more hardcore route with his sound, but he can’t accuse him of forgetting his roots as the child of a ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star.’
The boys are actually hitting the road this winter, including a date at The Castle Hotel in the Northern Quarter, if you fancy grabbing a ticket.
You can grab your tickets to see Villanelle on tour HERE, and in the meantime, let us know what you think of their debut track down in the comments.
Emily Sergeant -
4th February 2021 
