Uncle Matt's Chats x Barclays

Me: “This is a stick-up!”
Barclays Bank Clerk: “You’re holding a baseball cap.”
Me: “Yes, and I’m here to steal your… event space.”
Barclays Bank Clerk: “…Alright?”

...and that’s how we ended up hosting a mental health event at Barclays.

Uncle Matt’s Chats is back — this time popping up at Barclays Moorgate. Same vibe: real people, honest stories, free food and drink. Different spot, new speakers, fresh reasons to admit you’re actually not fine.

Yes, it’s another mental health event.
Yes, it’s still being run by a hat brand.
Yes, a major bank is letting us take over their space for the night.
We know. Odd combo.
But trust us — it somehow works.

We’ve done it in a chapel, we’ve done it in a pub. The natural next step? A bank, obviously

🎤 Who’s talking?
Three sessions to make you think, laugh, and maybe cry into your complimentary drink:

• Steve Willicott - Founder of Uncle Matt’s Hats, on grief, headwear, and accidentally becoming a mental health advocate via caps in ice cream tubs.
• Richard Pearce – Vice President at Barclays on how friendship groups, community engagement, physical fitness and overall positive well being all support better decision making and overall mental health
• Jake Mills – in a fireside chat with Rich Evans – Founder of Chasing the Stigma (the charity partner of Uncle Matt's Hats), discussing our theme of 'prevention not intervention'. Chasing the Stigma hosts the largest directory of mental health services in the UK via the Hub of Hope app.

📅 Event details:
Date: Thursday 9th October 2025
Time: Doors open 16:30 | Talks from 17:00 | Done by 19:30
Location: Barclays Moorgate, 120 Moorgate, London EC2M 6UR
Tickets: Free (but seats are limited — grab one while you can)
Extras: Free food, free drinks, and that rare buzz you only get from hearing strangers open up and realising they’re not so strange after all.

This time, we’re theming the evening around “prevention, not intervention.”

So many brilliant charities and organisations are there when people hit crisis point — and we love them for it. But our aim is to do something a little different: reaching people earlier, sharing tools and stories that help spot the signs, and sparking the kinds of conversations that might stop things from getting that far in the first place.

This isn’t therapy. It’s not a corporate wellness session with a dodgy PowerPoint. It’s just an evening of people being real, with snacks, stories, and no pressure to hashtag anything.

Come for the free pint (yes, non-alcoholic counts). Stay because you actually enjoyed hearing people open up. Leave with your head a little clearer (or a little heavier if you buy a hat).

Let’s keep talking — together.
All caps outside. All feelings inside.

🧢✨