One man in five dies before the age of 65.
TOGETHER we can change that.

Listen to the Podcast

Comedian John Ryan discusses 'elf with website editor Jim Pollard:

#1 - John tries out Man MOT

#2 - How to beat stress and anger

#3 - Are you what you eat?

#4 - The New Man

We want a new CEO

2.5 days/week
The Men’s Health Forum seeks a dynamic and dedicated individual to serve as its new Chief Executive.
Find out more

Our Manifesto

In the UK, one man in five dies before he reaches 65. Together, we can change that.

Read the Manifesto
Add your support
Sign the petition

Men's Health Week

The annual Men’s Health Week is the week that ends in Fathers' Day. Get involved.

John Ryan - the comedy contractor

Want to put the ha-ha into health? You need comedian and men's health expert John Ryan.
John Ryan training at Skanska
Who is John Ryan?

John is an award-winning comedian who also works in men’s health. By combining comedy with practical advice, John is living proof that laughter really is the best medicine.

His shows on the comedy circuit are highly-acclaimed - even the Daily Telegraph called him a ‘genius’ - but it is his work in men’s mental health that is truly ground-breaking. His Home Front project with the Army toured many army bases and won him a second Royal Society of Public Health Arts and Health Award in 2015. The first came in 2010 for his work in prisons. He has even had a research paper published in the Journal of Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology on how comedy can boost mental wellbeing.

He also contributes podcasts to this website - quite a feather in any cap, arguably second only to his column in the Waltham Forest Guardian.

What does he do?

We guarantee two things: you will laugh and you will learn something. John will talk to your staff or team or anybody at all about men’s health in a way that guarantees that they will actually listen. And have a great time to boot.

How do I book him?

Contact John directly via his Happy to Health You website.

There are various packages available. The most popular is a 30-40 minute session with your employees – ideal for lunchtimes.

Other sessions and formats can be delivered. 

What do others say?

Read this review from Clive Johnson of Land Securities:

We as an industry have struggled to get the our male construction workers to consider their own health and wellbeing. Over the years we have tried numerous ways to get the message across but none of them have really worked. I came across the Men’s Health Forum via one of our principal contractors (Skanska) who  invited me to attend one of their sessions.

John Ryan presented to a group of around 20 male construction workers of various ages and within ten minutes he had an open dialogue with the group and got them to really understand how important it was to look after your health. There was lots of audience participation, which really helped the overall outcome. The guys are still taking about it now.

As a result of the success I invited the Men’s Health Forum to one of our Principal Contractors Improvement Groups, to raise their visibility across our industry.They have a fantastic and fresh approach to a problem we have struggled with giving health the same billing as safety.

Or this, from Angela Page of Allied Bakeries West Bromwich:

The session with John was incredibly well-received and only a day later, has already created a huge talking point for our people. Educational without being a lecture, he conveyed some serious subjects in a brilliantly entertaining way, was interactive and had everyone at ease. More importantly, everyone who attended found it very funny!

Anything else?

Read this written by John Ryan himself about why laughter works

The Men’s Health Forum need your support

It’s tough for men to ask for help but if you don’t ask when you need it, things generally only get worse. So we’re asking.

In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of 65. If we had health policies and services that better reflected the needs of the whole population, it might not be like that. But it is. Policies and services and indeed men have been like this for a long time and they don’t change overnight just because we want them to.

It’s true that the UK’s men don’t have it bad compared to some other groups. We’re not asking you to ‘feel sorry’ for men or put them first. We’re talking here about something more complicated, something that falls outside the traditional charity fund-raising model of ‘doing something for those less fortunate than ourselves’. That model raises money but it seldom changes much. We’re talking about changing the way we look at the world. There is nothing inevitable about premature male death. Services accessible to all, a population better informed. These would benefit everyone - rich and poor, young and old, male and female - and that’s what we’re campaigning for.

We’re not asking you to look at images of pity, we’re just asking you to look around at the society you live in, at the men you know and at the families with sons, fathers and grandads missing.

Here’s our fund-raising page - please chip in if you can.

Registered with the Fundraising Regulator

Contact
Address
  • The Men's Health Forum
  • 7-14 Great Dover Street
  • London, SE1 4YR

Charity registered in England and Wales (no. 1087375). Company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 4142349).