A DRUMCHAPEL mental health charity issued a plea for support from businesses after the pandemic put their funding applications on hold.

Men Matter operates from a hub where men can seek respite, receive peer support and socialise. The hub officially opened in February, but still requires some refurbishment and maintenance work to be completed.

Additionally, the charity is fully dependent on donations to pay for monthly upkeep of the service and to purchase resources.

Founded by Gregor Ritchie and Peter Divers, two Drumchapel fathers who had carried out voluntary work in the area for a number of years, Men Matter was started in a bid to combat the urgent need for men in the area to be supported with their health and wellbeing.

On Friday, May 29, Men Matter Scotland posted on Facebook asking for businesses to get in touch if they would be interested in becoming an official sponsor.

In a Facebook post the charity said: “Ok guys need your help here. A lot of our funding applications are on hold just now due to the Covid-19 situation. We are trying our best with the limited resources we have to keep up with the rate of referrals. “We have ascertained that our numbers will be close to treble the number we had before lockdown, this is how much people’s mental health has suffered through all this. So I’ll get to the point.

“We are looking for local businesses to help us out by becoming our official registered corporate sponsors. They will be officially recognised on our social media pages and will also be recognised within our hub.

“They’ll receive a quarterly newsletter updating them on what we’ve been doing, upcoming projects/activities, basically letting them know what their money has been getting spent on. We will have an official Open day with you all in due course with everyone who has helped us. This will be vital for our short term sustainability, but a great opportunity for all long term.

“If you know anyone or any company you feel would be able to be kind enough to get involved with us? Then please tag them, if they’re not on Facebook could you screenshot this and send it to them? But please share this as much as possible.

“These services are needed more than ever, together, as a community we can properly save lives.

“So if you can...help us.

“Thank you for all your time and, more importantly, your efforts.”

Anyone who would be interested in sponsoring the charity is asked to contact menmatterscotland@hotmail.com or call 0141 944 7900.