So True: ‘80s icon says mental health group is Gold
25 November 2024
Iconic ‘80s singer Tony Hadley has described a men’s mental health group set up by a West Midlands Police Federation officer as ‘Gold’.
The renowned former frontman of Spandau Ballet recorded a video championing the work of 'Back and Forth – Men’s Mental Health’.
Back and Forth is a walking group established by PC Dan Phillips as a tribute to his friend and colleague PC Marc Forth, who died by suicide in April 2023.
The group has gone from strength to strength since it was launched in September 2023. It gained charity status last month and now has around 1,700 members.
Pic attached (l-r: Charity co-founders PC Dan Phillips, Liam Stein and PC Will Haynes)
Now it has received a video message from Tony, who enjoyed chart success with Spandau Ballet with songs such as True, Gold and Through the Barricades.
In his message, Tony said: “It’s hard to talk about things sometimes. The more we talk about it the better we are going to feel about it. It’s not going to cure everything, but at least you’ll find like-minded guys that maybe have similar problems. Back and Forth. It’s a great organisation.”
Tony Hadley
Dan explained how the message came about.
“The wife of Jon Barrett, one of our founders, is part of the Tony Handley fan club,” he said. “They saw him perform and afterwards managed to speak to him, and told him what we do.
“I think he may have had some mental issues himself and I think he’s got a family member in the police. They asked him if he would record a message of support, and when he sent it through it took us by surprise. To get something like that is massive for us.
“To have that kind of endorsement and support from someone like that is amazing – you could say it’s Gold – and we’re thankful for it.”
The group has also been tasked with restoring the garden space at Chase Avenue Police Station in Willenhall, Coventry.
Spandau Ballet singer, Tony Hadley.
Dan said: “Chief Superintendent Paul Drover has asked us to look at it and return it to use for a memorial space and a quiet space. We have a bunch of volunteers who will help out over the winter and get it back to a usable space, so we’ve got a quiet area and a memorial garden for all our fallen colleagues.
“For many people, gardening is good for their relaxation and mental health. I’m going to change some of the walks for work on the garden over the winter to get it ready for the spring.”
The group has recently started recording podcasts discussing men’s mental health issues.
Dan said: “It’s not a counselling session. It’s a couple of blokes chatting about whatever issues they’ve been dealing with. We have a topic each week, and we discuss how we dealt with things and what we’ve taken away from them.”
Back & Forth: A Men’s Mental Health Podcast is available to download now.
