Mental health charity holds fund-raising matches at Wigan's DW Stadium

A Wigan charity that aims to spread a positive message about mental health through football enjoyed its annual big day at the DW Stadium. And no fewer than 108 players competed in three Place 2 Place games in aid of Papyrus and State of Mind: the biggest number ever. And £500 will be shared between them and Place 2 Place.The organisation was set up by Peter Hill, from Beech Hill after a friend took his own life, followed by the friend’s step-dad and brother.This made Peter decide to take a stand against the stigma that surrounded discussions of mental health at the time, and so founded a five-a-side-football team to give men the opportunity to speak in an environment that would feel familiar to them.By doing so it has helped individuals open up about problems in their lives and has been said to be more beneficial than traditional approaches such as therapy, which could be overwhelming.

Peter said: “The message ‘it’s OK not to be OK’ was the theme of the day as we encourage blokes to reach out and talk about the challenges they face.

"It was a great success. The game’s pictures and messages went so far that Brazilian side Vasco Da Gama liked and shared them on Twitter!”

Last year Place 2 Place was presented with the highest award a local voluntary group can receive in the UK: the King’s Award for Voluntary Service. And two of its volunteers were heading down to Buckingham Palace this week for a royal garden party.