International Men’s Day
International Men’s Day is a worldwide event. The UK themes for the Day are: Making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys. Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity. To celebrate the day, we are featuring some of the men within the Service.
Wholetime Firefighter at Whitchurch Station. Worked at SWFRS for 13 years.
Inspiring male – Mark Colbourne
Completely turned his life around after a paragliding accident and breaking his back. He went on to win a gold medal at London 2012 in indoor cycling and break the world record twice in the process. I find him totally inspirational in showing that anything is possible with belief and the desire to be the best you can, whatever your circumstances are.
What International Men’s Day means to me
An opportunity to celebrate male people in our lives and the contributions they make to society. It’s also an opportunity to promote men’s physical and mental health, to encourage men to be more open and to support one another.
How can we improve relations between men and women?
Living in a diverse community and working in an increasingly diverse workforce is exciting and should be celebrated! We should notice the skills and attributes of people as individuals and learn from each other, to become better.
Health and wellbeing tips for other males
After receiving treatment for testicular cancer in 2011, my experience showed me that illness does not discriminate, so check, check and check again if you have any issues or changes within the body and don’t be afraid to talk. Just having a conversation could save a life!
Regular exercise and a balanced diet is important for both physical and mental health. Get outside whenever you can, make it sociable and set yourself some goals, even if it’s to be able to run to the end of the road!
ICT Engineer Applications Team. 10+ years service.
Inspiring male – Bear Grylls
To quote from “To My Sons”: “Aim to live a wild, generous, full, exciting life, blessing those around you and seeing the good in all”.
What International Men’s Day mean to me
Celebrates men’s positivity and what men bring to the world.
How can we improve relations between men and women?
We all need to work together in all situations, not being put off by labels or buzzwords of the moment.
Health and wellbeing tips for other males
Get the right balance between work and home – both are equally important in life but need to be in the right balance.
Head of Service Performance and Communications. 13 years+ service.
Inspiring male – Barack Obama
Barack Obama was a leader that always publicly and passionately championed equality, fairness and peace. He always seemed open to challenge when striving for change and treated people with compassion and dignity.
What International Men’s Day mean to me
International men’s day is a day to appreciate positive male role models in our lives and to also raise awareness of the challenges faced by some men around the world.
How can we improve relations between men and women?
We should continue to raise awareness of the various challenges faced by all genders within our society, while encouraging and enabling constructive dialogue to occur around these issues.
Health and wellbeing tips for other males
My main advice would be to encourage people to talk about any pressures, concerns or issues they are experiencing in life. People are always keen to help.
You can also view more profiles of males from our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.