Everyone talks about Pie Club

in the UK and abroad who have undergone a training programme called Barbertalk, teaching them to support clients when they see any warning signs. He said: “Hairdressers find that they end up being counsellors for their clients so I wanted to openly tell them it is okay to talk to me. Our barbers are trained to ensure they ask the right questions and give the right answers.” Colin Mallen It’s a Bake Off with a difference – and a positive impact on lives that goes far beyond a full belly.

When a community group was wondering how to reach out to socially isolated men in Newcastle, one idea stood out from the rest – pies.

Staff at Food Nation, which helps promote healthy eating, came up with the idea of engaging with local men by inviting them to come and bake, and eat, a delicious pie.

Their idea has blossomed into the Men’s Pie Club, which sees men brought together through a shared love of the hearty British dish – and helps combat loneliness, mental illness and male suicide.

The groups of up to ten men meet up and make and bake a pie each from scratch, before eating it together.

Colin Mallen, the Men’s Pie Club project co-ordinator, said: “Most importantly, they chat and interact, and build friendships and relationships. Already the clubs are having a really positive impact. Social isolation and loneliness is not just growing among older men who may have retired or have less contact with family and friends than their female counterparts, but research shows there is an issue in other age groups too.

“Just to get these guys to come is a big thing, many hardly ever leave their homes or get beyond their front doors.”

The first pie club, held at the Food Nation’s community centre in Byker, was launched in March after winning funding from the Movember Foundation, helping to purchase equipment such as individual pie makers. It was so successful that two other clubs have been started elsewhere in the city, with another three in the pipeline and plans to roll out the scheme across Tyneside and nationwide.

HEALTHY EATINGThe sessions also teach the men about healthy eating. Colin added: “Every week the guys choose the flavour of next week’s pie. A favourite is beef and onion pie, but we’ve also done others like a sweet potato and chickpea pie, which was delicious. But the actual pie is secondary to their mental health, and it’s been amazing to see the difference the pie clubs are making. “One shy chap didn’t say a single word at first, but over the weeks his confidence grew. One night he led a teaching demonstration himself – something he’d never imagined. “The men take that confidence away to the other areas of their lives, and we help them where we can to move their lives forward. “We’ve linked some men with courses so they can get back into work, we helped one who wanted to join a local gym, and some have become volunteers with Food Nation’s other projects. It’s amazing to think that it all started with a good old pie.”

NICE AS PIE