Lancaster Men’s Hub is a charitable organisation founded in early 2021. Our application to become a registered charity, as of November 19th, was accepted by the Charity Commission and our charity number is 1196670.
Our aim is to promote the wellbeing of men in Lancaster and the surrounding area through organising and promoting social and practical activities. Our founding members include experts in pastoral and social matters. The charity’s slogan is wellbeing through doing.
Many factors such as grief, disability, mental ill-health or financial worries can lead to men becoming isolated or feeling distanced from their fellow human beings. Women are often able to voice and share their worries, whereas men sometimes find it difficult to reach out or articulate their own feelings. Men tend to take a more sideways approach to talking, sharing and breaking out of loneliness.
The purpose of Lancaster Men’s Hub, or LMH, is to help by providing activities which open up exactly that sideways approach. By taking part in any kind of shared activity you automatically meet with others. Small exchanges about what you are doing gradually grow into relaxed conversations. Friendships can form and people can get to know each other.
LMH provides many activities and the intention is to widen the range over time – anything from book clubs and healthy eating to woodworking and metal detecting. We also connect with other charities and non-profit groups as well as some professional organisations, take part in shared events and support socially and environmentally positive initiatives. Currently we run our Friday Elevenses, have a workshop open 4 days per week, run Summer walks, have a Walking Football group on Sunday, have a Thursday Games Evening (playing dominoes, cards, crib, rtc, a Music Group on a Monday and a Writers Group on a Saturday. Plans are in place for a whole host of new activities in our new "Studio" building in Lancaster.
Members and Guests
You can join in our activities as a Guest or, if you wish, become a Member of LMH. Membership is free, though we encourage people to make one-off or continuing donations if they can. Membership gives you more access to news and information about LMH as well as the right to attend and vote at our Annual General Meetings. That vote at the AGM allows you take a direct part in shaping our future strategy and actions. We encourage Members to help organise events or assist in the running of the charity, and you may even wish to set up a group of your own within LMH.
Membership is open to anyone aged 18 and over, both women and men. As a Member, you must uphold our Constitution and abide by our Code of Conduct and support the central purpose of promoting specifically the wellbeing of men. The only other thing you have to do is take part, as cautiously or wholeheartedly as you feel, in any of the LMH activities that appeal to you.
Our Trustees
Our trustees include a pastor, two retired teachers, a retired expert on nuclear radiation and a former director of Lancaster Footlights and The Grand Theatre. Trustees are elected at the AGM and serve for a term of three years. Trustees, like all our officers, must become Members of LMH in order to be eligible for election or appointment. You can find out more about our Trustees here.