Fliers to help struggling men removed from hill
Fliers posted at Kinnoull Hill to help men in crisis have been removed from the popular Perth beauty spot.
Andys Man Club Perth, one of 23 branches across the UK, has around 200 members providing a space for men to talk.
But it is claimed their fliers have been removed because of concerns about “littering.”
Co-founder and now one of the national trustee directors Alex McClintock said the group had plastered local doctors surgeries, dental surgeries, hairdressers and nail bars with fliers and stickers.
He said: “Some of our guys have been in Murray Royal and gone for a walk and stuck fliers up Kinnoull Hill.”
He said they had put up stickers, tied fliers to trees and put fliers on noticeboards to give those struggling a “wee message of hope”.
Members have been doing this for the past six or seven months.
But at last Wednesday’s Perth and Kinross Integration Joint Board meeting, Chris Lamont, lead for mental health strategy in Perth and
Kinross, said there had been an issue with the fliers being removed because Andys Man Club was told they were “littering the place.”
IJB chair SNP councillor Eric Drysdale asked Perth and Kinross Council’s deputy chief executive Jim Valentine if anything could be done.
Mr Valentine said he was aware of the issue and could not see why they could not replicate what they already had along the Tay in terms of signs.
After the meeting, a spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “We acknowledge that Kinnoull Hill is a site where it would be beneficial to display contact information for the specialist support services offered by organisations such as the Samaritans and Andys Man Club.
“Officers are looking into what options are available and appropriate for the site.
“We will report back to a future meeting of the Integration Joint Board on the actions that have been taken by officers.”
• Andys Man Club members tell councillors medication is not the answer - page 25