Staff and Volunteers

Certified Mental Health First Aider with MHFA England
Adverse Childhood Experiences Awareness Training Course  (ACE's) - CPD Certified    

Covid-19 Psychological First Aider (PFA) – Public Health England
Zero Suicide Alliance Training - Zero Suicide Alliance  

Phil founded JourneyMEN which launched on 7 April 2020.
Phil is JourneyMEN's First Responder and delivers our day to day services.

Phil was former Merseyside PCSO for over 17 years, Phil was part of the joined up Early Help Team on Wirral and saw first-hand the devastation of depression and mental health issues affecting men in particular.He dealt with many incidents of attempted suicides and tragically several deaths by suicide - which led him to establish a community organisation to save lives.
 “From working in the police over many years, I knew that male mental health and suicide was an urgent issue. Many men were not able to gain timely access to the support they needed from overstretched health services. That’s where the idea of JourneyMEN came from. We aim to better link up the crucial support and provide a safe space for men to access that support. I know we can make a difference.”

Since then Phil has collaborated with professionals and organisations across the region to help join up provision for men and to bridge the gaps across the many different services, which gave rise to establishing JourneyMEN, launched on 7 April 2020, World Health Day. 

Phil is one of JourneyMEN CIC 's registered directors.

Certified Mental Health First Aider with MHFA England

  Zero Suicide Alliance Training - Zero Suicide Alliance  

Social Secretary 

 Des originally came to JourneyMEN as a client. After surgery on his spine 3 years ago, he has been left in pain and awaiting further spinal surgery. Due to this, he found himself socially isolated and withdrawn from society, becoming quiet and reserved.  

After engaging with the team at JourneyMEN on the Walk and Talk and Sea Fishing events over a number of weeks, Des felt he was ready to volunteer for JourneyMEN. Discovering a mutual passion for sea fishing, he now is our lead for future fishing events. 

He feels he has now completed his journey with us, now giving something back by and helping change other men’s lives in the way JourneyMEN has changed his.

BSc (Hons) Substance Use Studies - University of Wales 

Certified Mental Health First Aider with MHFA England  

Adverse Childhood Experiences Awareness Training Course  (ACE's) - CPD Certified    

Covid-19 Psychological First Aider (PFA) – Public Health England  

ASSIST Suicide Interventionist

Joyce has over 25 years’ experience in social care on Merseyside spanning a career in the NHS, local authority and third sector.

With a specialist background working in substance misuse services on the Wirral, Joyce is a degree-qualified Substance Misuse Practitioner and qualified life coach.

Joyce has always recognised the need for mental health support services for men on the Wirral and joined JourneyMEN as a volunteer in July 2020 to help readdress that gap. She quickly established herself to lead the team as JourneyMEN’s Stakeholder Manager before being appointed by the Board as Chief Operations Officer in February 2023 and leads JourneyMEN’s innovative service provision.

Joyce ’s experience includes residential rehabilitation - supporting people through their drug/alcohol detoxes with psychosocial interventions and assisting residents to move towards their chosen independent lives.

Joyce was employed by the flagship NHS Wirral Drug and Alcohol Service as a substance misuse practitioner for twelve years providing recovery orientated substance misuse treatment to clients and support for their families. The Wirral Drug and Alcohol Service enabled Joyce to link into the various Wirral services including homeless hostels, criminal justice services, GP shared care services, aftercare services and other various treatment provision to support people’s needs.

-Zero Suicide Alliance Training - Zero Suicide Alliance,

-Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Gym Instructing and Personal Training,

Sports and Fitness Coaching,

-Cache level 2 certificate in understanding mental health first Aid and mental health advocacy in the workplace.

-Domestic Abuse Awareness

(Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership)

-Working Together To Safeguard Children

(Wirral Safeguarding Children Partnership)

Volunteer - Mental Health Support Worker & 

Social Media, Health & Fitness Lead

Before I came to JourneyMEN I was working as a Personal Trainer in various gyms and started studying BSc (Honours) Sports, Fitness and Coaching in 2020. But since I have changed my studies to focus on social work with my focus on Perinatal Mental Health, dad's needing support in the community and as a survivor of domestic abuse I am a supporter of getting more support and helping more male victims of domestic abuse and violence.

I always had an interest in working with mental health after being around people close to me suffering themselves and me wanting to combine exercise and this to support and help others in the future as I am a huge believer of the impact exercise can have on our mental health. 

I came to JourneyMEN as a client after experiencing a few low points personally at the end of 2020 and attended various events like walk & talk and sea fishing soon realising that I wasn’t alone in the way I felt and there was support available. 

These personal experiences have given me now an arsenal of tools and information to move forward and share with others struggling with the impact of suffering domestic abuse, mental health and going through family court system.

I very quickly realised that I wanted to become part of the JourneyMEN staff and give back to others and that I could use my own experiences and work to achieve this.

Zero Suicide Alliance Training - Zero Suicide Alliance  

Dave founded JourneyMEN which launched on 7 April 2020.
Dave runs JourneyMEN's event programme.

Born in Wilmslow Cheshire, Dave was a Firefighter with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service for 32 years. During that time he was stationed throughout Wirral including Upton, Heswall, Wallasey and the very busy Birkenhead operation. It was as a frontline firefighter that Dave experienced the importance of looking after mental health.

He says: “I learnt back then that it is crucial to openly talk about serious issues. On my Watch I would make sure we all sat around the mess table and talked after we returned from the more devastating scenes we were called to.”

Dave’s compassion is legendary amongst colleagues who witnessed him resuscitating a dog after he found it trapped unconscious during one call out.
Upon his retirement from the fire service until last year, Dave volunteered as a Police Community Volunteer (PCV) and regularly patrolled with Phil Roberts on a range of tasks including road safety, anti-social behaviour and mental health issues. Dave also volunteers as a narrowboat skipper with YMCA Wirral where he takes out groups with different needs on Cheshire's canals. Dave brings his narrowboat skills to JourneyMEN both in leading its own narrowboat excursions as well as supporting the off site counseling that takes place aboard a specially designed narrowboat.

Dave is one of JourneyMEN CIC 's registered directors.

FMAAT, ACMA CGMA – Director & Finance Director of JourneyMEN & Managing Director at KLB Financial Management Ltd

 
Kerry has almost 20 years' experience working in finance for large organisations within the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. Organisations include, Halton Borough Council, University of Liverpool, National Museums Liverpool and more recently Brothers of Charity Services (BOCS).Kerry joined BOCS back in 2017 to head the finance department and support all business activities within the Merseyside and Greater Manchester regions. She has over 7 years’ experience in senior leadership roles offering both financial and strategic advice. As an AAT Fellow Member and CIMA Chartered Associate Kerry set up her own practice, KLB Financial Management Ltd back in 2018. 

Primarily to help organisation like JourneyMEN CIC meet their statutory obligations. But just as importantly offer strategic advice and support.  In 2019 Kerry joined the Board of Trustees of the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre & Museum. Her role as Finance Trustee allows her to support the local community by offering advice on compliance, governance, risk management and sustainability. 

Kerry says "KLB Financial Management Ltd is passionate about making a positive difference to people's lives and believe it or not we can still do that working in finance. We may not deliver front line services directly but we most definitely take pride in supporting those that do. Working within the not-for profit sector is highly rewarding and putting the person at the centre of what we do makes us extremely proud. We are delighted to be able to support JourneyMEN CIC in the way that we do".

 FCIPD, FInstLM, MBCS, PGCEE (Emotional Education)

Post Graduate Teaching Certificate in Emotional Education at Masters Level.

Currently studying Psychodramatic Bodywork5

Certified Mental Health First Aider with MHFA England

Trained and Experienced in Safeguarding Adults and Children

Experienced Mentor and Coach Reiki Master Teacher First Aid Instructor

David left school at 15 and joined the Army at 17. By eighteen he qualified as a radio operator and a civilian first aid instructor with Saint John Ambulance and was posted to Singapore. He became a Jungle Warfare Instructor and spent time in Borneo, Malay and Thailand where he did two solo expeditions in dense jungle. There followed a 25 year military career included three years teaching on the Platoon Commanders Battle Course and a cumulative three and a half years on active service. He attended many courses including parachuting, became a sniper instructor, and an advanced wild water canoeing instructor.

David re-joined civilian life and became a computing lecturer and staff development manager in Youth and Adult Training at a local Further Education college. In his spare time David has run a youth club and volunteered with charities for the blind and partially sighted, disabled veterans, children and young people’s acting, and became a Reiki Master Teacher. “One of my most rewarding experiences was to take a group of blind young adults who spoke no English from Europe to Snowdonia and teach them to rock climb”.

During my recent studies I have created a Pinterest site with over 41 thousand pins in 100 categories focusing on Self Care and Personal Development.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/WaddingtonDavid/_saved/

Volunteer Lead

Having spent most of her career in the charitable sector, Tamzin comes to JourneyMEN for her first year placement in university whilst studying Sociology and Criminology. 

Tamzin has worked with men for many years, in particular older men and military veterans with organisations such as Age UK Wirral and Wirral Veterans however mental health support has never been the primary service Tamzin has delivered.

Tamzin wants to use this opportunity with JourneyMEN to expand her knowledge around men’s mental health issues, as well as develop her skill set in supporting men to manage and overcome their mental health issues and become more qualified in this area.