With the support of many local DJs, fitness instructors and local venues Kurt has raised over £8,500. He is now focussing on reaching his ambitious target to take his total over £10,000, with his final event of the year on 29th November at Baker Street in Preston.
His fundraiser, Dance 4 Depression, have hosted three events so far. The first event held in Leyland kickstarted his fundraising campaign raising over £5,000 via ticket donations and raffle tickets. Each event places music and movement at the centre of his fundraising efforts, living the strap line - lets beat suicide two steps at a time.
Kurt explains:
“In order for me to champion and bring to life my ideas for Dance 4 Depression, I needed to be open and speak about my own experiences. I think I am known as a loud, happy person and people were surprised to hear that I have suffered with my mental health which is why I wanted to start fundraising for Andys Man Club. Music is a huge passion of mine, so it felt like the obvious choice to use music, dancing and movement in my fundraising efforts.”
Each of the three events so far have taken a slightly different format, but always with music and dancing at the heart - A daytime dance event, an iconic boat party along the Leeds to Liverpool canal and a three-hour ‘workoutathon’ held at Gymworks in Euxton.
Kurt continues:
“The message at these events is always the same, we as men must look out for each other, check on each other and break the stigma surrounding men's mental illness. We can't change the world, but we can change the status quo here in our local area. Talking about mental health is so important and I don’t want loose one more person unnecessarily.”
Kurt’s final fundraiser of 2025 is his biggest and most exciting event yet. Bringing together a host of talented local DJs including Tommy Knox, Harbison, Marland, Oli Bennett, Jackie Moon, Jason Marx, Emma Ellis and Kurt himself. The party starts at 6pm on 29th November and the dancing will continue into the early hours at Baker Street in Preston.
Kurt adds:
“Each event has been such an incredible amount of fun, the people that have turned out to support the cause has been truly overwhelming. All experiences of mental health are different but the best thing I did was reach out and speak to people and not let the dark thoughts grow darker. I know it is a difficult first step, but the people that love you want you to talk and charities like Andys Man Club are also here for support.
“I can’t wait to celebrate reaching my £10,000 target, and this is only the beginning so watch this space! If we can change the path for one person this whole thing will be worth it.”
Colin, one of the local volunteer facilitators at Andys Man Club said:
"A huge thank you to Kurt and the rest of his team for supporting us this year. The funds raised and the awareness that events like this bring is so valuable to us in facilitating helping as many men as we possibly can.'”
Andys Man Club meet up all over the country at 7pm on Monday evenings except bank holidays. All men aged 18+ are welcome to attend and can speak openly about their issues in a non judgmental environment through shared experiences. All the groups are completely volunteer-led and are free to attend. Further details and your local group can be found on their website - https://andysmanclub.co.uk/
You can donate to Dance 4 Depression and find out more about future events via their JustGiving page - https://www.justgiving.com/page/dance4depression or follow them on Instagram @dance4depression.
ENDS