Talking Cherries

What we are
So, "Talking Cherries" you might ask?

"Talking Cherries" is a mental health initiative set up by the fans, for the fans.

Have you ever wanted to expand your match day experience, while in a safe, familiar setting, surrounded by likeminded people, have the opportunity for a good old catch up and be able to 'talk' freely?

Everyone lives with and is affected by mental health, either on a personal level, or even through offering support to someone struggling with their mental health.

Whether you are currently of good mental health or maybe going through a stage where it is not so good or even at a point where your mental health is really not in a good place it is always a part of your everyday health and wellbeing.

Have you ever:
-Had a bad day?
-Felt a little down in the dumps?
-Been going through a tough time?
-Not quite felt yourself but can't quite put your finger on why?

But have never really known how, or where to off load?

Why we are
When tragedy strikes it's not just those closest to the situation that can be affected. It can impact many more people and sometimes those impacts are long lasting.

However, out of difficult times can come light and when people get together you can achieve wonderful things!

When in 2019, life long AFC Bournemouth fan, Peter Humphrey sadly passed after his continuous battle with his mental health. The outpouring of emotion from fellow fans on social media was palpable.

Simon Kay saw this and having lived through some difficult moments, as everyone does, plus the growing conversation around mental health, he thought why don't we use the power of football as fans to begin to have a conversation around mental health.

Using our common conversation of our beloved Cherries, he began having conversations with a few fans at home games about how they felt about evolving a fans mental health initiative.

Initially positioned as a platform for men to speak up more, it has evolved to be inclusive of everyone.

Simon likens the project to something like a puzzle where you need to make sure you get the four corners in place before you can start filling it.

That meant fans, the club, knowledge and signposting would be needed. The latter of which was very important and challenging at times with him not being an expert in that area. But it came together in the end to get us to where we are today.

Fundamentally however, it would need to be the fans themselves that would drive the project forward.

Within a few months, Simon had spoken to many fans near where he sits with his family about various journeys other fans had been on from alcohol addiction to gambling addiction and those who had lived with others going through a difficult time.

It was clear that the fans that had been spoken to were willing to support an initiative built around fans, their experiences and how if they could help one fellow fan going through a tough time based on their own personal experiences, they would want to help.

Over time, Simon would arrange and attend meetings with representatives from the Club, Bournemouth University, Mental Health Advocates and fans to see how an initiative could be progressed with, in from all areas.

It would not have been possible to get to where we are without some of the wonderful fans Simon has spoken to and a team which has grown over the last year.

There is no doubt that Covid-19 has impacted the speed at which we wanted to move but we will be able to get together again soon in person to enjoy what we love best and that is our beloved AFC Bournemouth.

When we do, not only will we be Talking Cherries, we will have an evolving team open to discuss mental health and assist where we can to nurture fellow fans through their journeys, whatever that may be.