International Men's Day: Ken McCulloch's purpose to support peers through Game of II Halves

Foundation of Light Game of II Halves ambassador Ken McCulloch found a new purpose in retirement through the men’s mental health initiative.

Ken had worked on the shipyards before later becoming a salesperson, where he had something of a self-discovery on the importance of talking.

On how his career path shaped his outlook on opening up and sharing your problems, Ken admitted: “In my previous roles I’ve gone from the shipyards which were a bit of a man’s world, and men don’t talk about their problems. So we all assumed we didn’t have any.

“In the shipyards, probably through fear of ridicule, men didn’t talk about their problems, and I was one of them men. I’m of a generation that got on with it and tried to get over it.

“When I got into sales, I found that I had a chance to listen to people. So many people directly and indirectly reported into me, so you’d become a marriage guidance counsellor, a financial advisor, health and fitness advisor.”

Those experiences of sharing advice with colleagues would play a part in Ken’s future outlook. When looking for something to do to keep himself busy in retirement, the Game of II Halves project stood out to him.

“I found myself from full on, busy, to having the fear of maybe not having anything to do. This seemed like a fantastic opportunity for me and something that might give me a purpose,” he shared.

“I’ve become a good listener and I don’t judge, don’t discriminate. Now I’ve met so many ambassadors and I think the team is a melting pot of lots of different personalities and skills. I think overall, between us, we should be able to handle any situation.

“I don’t think I’ll ever have all of the skills needed, I don’t think anybody would, but I just want to be the best version of me. If I’m in that situation of having to help somebody, I want to do the right thing.”

The Game of II Halves programme equips ambassadors with the tools, knowledge, and contacts needed to help and signpost people in need through a series of workshops.

This information became crucial to Ken when he found himself having to support a family member.

“A family member is going through a divorce and unfortunately turned to drink. I think we all thought that there was a definite risk of self-harm or maybe even suicide, which terrified us really,” Ken explained.

“Before being part of the Game of II Halves ambassadors, I probably would have reacted differently than I did.

“I’ve signposted that person to Wear Recovery, and he’s since had about five meeting with them. That comes directly from the Game of II Halves workshops, otherwise I wouldn’t have had a clue.

“One of the things I’ve found as an ambassador is how bad some of the issues are, you don’t realise what a lot of people are going through, especially within Sunderland.

“I hope that we can get the name out there, and the power of the Sunderland badge means something. People see it and think ‘I can talk to them guys’.”

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