The leader of a support group believes lockdown has had a positive effect on men's mental health.

Mark Greening, from Kingsgate, Broadstairs, found himself supporting scores of men who needed a helping hand, when he founded Man Club on the Kent coast.

The group sessions proved so popular that Mr Greening organised weekly meet ups in Margate, Ramsgate, Herne Bay, Whitstable and Deal.

With the pandemic forcing the nation into lockdown, the meetings have had to be postponed until social distancing guidelines are eased.

But the 34-year-old believes the conditions have in fact relieved many men of social pressures.

He said: "I've spoken to quite a few people about this situation, and I think, in a weird and wonderful way, it's actually helped people's mental health.

"A lot of the social pressures have been taken away - If you look at a single guy, a lot of pressure for him to get out and about, to buy nice clothes, to go to the pub all the time to see his mates, probably pressures he puts on himself that he needs to be out.

"But these pressures come at a cost and can put them in a financially sticky situation. That kind of thing isn't available to spend money on now."

Since Mr Greening started Man Club in June 2019 he regularly receives calls from men across the county who want to talk to him about their issues.

But since lockdown only a few people have been in contact, significantly less than before the pandemic struck.

He also believes the unprecedented situation has normalised using video chats on platforms like Zoom and FaceTime, encouraging men to speak to friends remotely.

He said: "In the last 10 weeks I've actually had more normal conversations with people that I'm friends with than I probably have in the last five years.

"It's forcing people to talk to each other and open up, because they're sat at home not doing a lot."

He added: "In general I think everyone's a bit more relaxed about life, and if they're in a relationship a lot of arguments might be eradicated because they're spending more time at home.

"As much as it's really affected a lot of things in a really negative way, there are a lot of positives taken out of the way people are now forced to live their lives."

Speaking to KentOnline in March before the lockdown, Mr Greening said men often struggle to open up to other people about their problems.

Looking ahead, he hopes to get the meetings back on track as lockdown measures are eased, even suggesting social distanced outdoor meetings for men who want to talk.

"In general I think everyone's a bit more relaxed about life.."

Despite running Man Club Zoom meetings during this period, there have been far less men joining than were attending the face-to-face meetings.

Mr Greening said: "We looked into zoom meetings and we've had 7 or 8 joining in one go, but as lockdown has gone on longer, less people are joining.

"And the people that have joined the meetings have actually been in very good spirits."

Mr Greening started Man Club after tragically losing three friends to suicide in the space of 18 months.

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