These days, it’s not unusual for footballers and other sportspeople to use cold water immersion to recover after a match. However, a Bangor 1876 fan along with several players and coaches had a quick dip in the Severn after last weekend’s match for an entirely different reason.

The event was the idea of a well-known Bangor 1876 fan, Mash, who has been supporting fellow fan RIcky Roberts in his efforts to raise money for Andy’s Man Club. Andy’s Man Club was set up in 2016 after Ricky’s youngest brother Andy tragically took his own life in 2016. Several of Andy’s Man Club, a men’s suicide prevention charity that runs free-to-attend peer-to-peer support groups at over 200 venues across the UK and online.

Every day during the month of October, RIcky has been having a dip in cold water as part of a fundraising challenge to raise money for Andy’s Man Club. He has been joined on several of his cold water trips by Mash.

Mash has talked about how losing several friends he served with in the armed forces to suicide has prompted him to support Ricky’s fundraising efforts. He has explained that being introduced to cold water swimming by Ricky made a positive difference to his own life three years ago after his great friend Philly Williams took his own life. Mash credits this with helping him to make positive changes in his own life, mentioning that “in time it led me to stop drinking and follow a healthier and happier lifestyle”.

Mash has described how football has been a really important part of his life and eas delighted to be joined for a dip in the Severn by Bangor 1876 players and coaches after last weekend’s game in Caersws:

“My own traumas started surfacing in the mid-2000s, and I’ll always be grateful to those Bangor football fans who showed me support and empathy through the darkest times of my life. It was fantastic that the players and staff of our amazing community-owned football club Bangor 1876 joined me in the Severn after our league encounter at Caersws”.

Among those joining Mash in the Severn just near Caersws’s ground was Bangor 1876 manager Michael Johnston. The sight of away teams popping round the corner for a dip in the river apparently isn’t a common post-match ritual at the Mid Wales side. However, Johnston has talked about how it was an important thing for the players and coaches to do. In an interview with Cymru Sport he explained why:

“One of our fans, Mash, is doing thirty days in cold water for mental health charities, so it was just a little bit of us giving back. He’s followed us home and away and he drove the minibus down here for the players. So it was just a little ‘thank you’ to him, a little bit of publicity for him as well. It’s a great charity he’s raising money for. It’s to prevent suicide which is a big thing, particularly with men. We’ll do any little things that we can to support that.”

Ricky Roberts has expressed his gratitude to those who set foot in the Severn in Caersws:

“The support shown by the Bangor 1876 players, staff and fans with what Mash arranged was fantastic. It’s just as important as what big high-profile clubs have been doing. It’s all about reaching out to the community by the community. A man might have seen the show of support at Caersws and thought that he should seek help. That’s what it’s all about. I’d like to thank all at Bangor 1876 from the bottom of my heart on behalf of my family. Grassroots football is a family and community is strength.”

If you would like to donate to support Ricky’s fundraiser for Andy’s Man Club, you can do so online here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1167019147699469/1167019164366134/.

Information about Andy’s Man’s Club and the support they provide can be found online here: https://andysmanclub.co.uk/
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