15/02/2016 Inside Out West

Hello from Gloucester, where we are taking an extraordinary

Also tonight, why suicide is the biggest killer of young men.

Doctor Phil Hammond tells his own highly personal story.

I was just seven years old when my dad, a hugely popular

chemistry lecturer in Australia, took his life, leaving a two word

Junior Saunders asks if the Old Vic is worth it.

I'm Alastair McKee, and this is Inside Out West.

First tonight, it might surprise you that the biggest killer of men

under the age of 45 isn't heart disease

As part of the BBC's mental health season,

which starts today, doctor Phil Hammond examines the growing

incidence of male suicide - something that has deeply touched

The notion of men opening up about their emotional and mental

well-being has always carried a stigma, and the idea of asking

for help or support is often misconstrued by men

The charity Calm, the Campaign Against Living Miserably,

recently published research that found that in 2014,

In my family, three men have taken their lives -

my great grandfather, my great uncle, and

I was just seven years old when my dad, a hugely popular

chemistry lecturer in Australia, took his life, leaving a two word

I remember him as happy and loving, but he was also very

hard-working, self-critical and conscientious,

and like many men, he struggled to ask for help

But when he was depressed, he was unable to love himself.

It's taken probably about four years, but yeah,

Life can be cruel and stressful for all

of us, but why are men more at risk of death by suicide?

The second time Dean decided to end his own life

was a rational, calculated choice.

Before I attempted it, I registered all my organs,

And at that time, I consider that to be a better use of myself

All I was was a burden to the people that I cared about,

and it would have just been better if I had

So in your mind, you were saying, my body is worth more if I die

and donate my organs than it is if I remain living.

What actually pushed you back from the brink?

I just had a moment of realisation that if I had gone

through with it, it would have actually been far worse

As painful as it was for me at the time, it was something I knew

I had to not do and try again to get proper treatment

Talk us through what was happening in your life then.

I felt very powerless and isolated, and no matter how many times someone

tells you, it does stop eventually, you don't believe it.

It gets to a point where you just think, I don't

want to wake up again tomorrow and feel like that.

And having made the decision to carry on, Dean needed

to find a job - not easy for someone with no self-worth,

and made even more difficult by a worldwide

When you feel worthless and you spend...

And you feel useless and you feel like you don't

matter, and then you spend a week filling out a hundred job

applications for jobs that you don't really want to do,

it makes you feel really dispirited

And researchers at the University of Bristol have recently published

a study which suggests the rising number of male suicides is linked

Why do you think that suicide attempts

amongst men have gone up during the recession?

Austerity measures had a massive effect on their lives,

and also to do with not being able to

find a job, and that could be whether or not you had left school

at 16, or whether you had gone through the system and come out

at the other end with a good degree, but you're still in huge competition

with everybody else who still had a degree, and now with an enormous

And some people felt that it just wasn't

worth it, to the point that they wanted to self harm.

Did men find it harder to talk to you during

I think there is very much a sense of self reliance,

men feeling that it wasn't something that they ought to talk about.

And quite often, in comparison to the other group that I spoke

to that hadn't self harmed but were struggling with money,

they didn't seem to have the same level

So when I say network, I mean friends, family,

Suicide is the biggest killer of men between

But local authority spending doesn't reflect this.

According to the charity Mind, ?160 million is spent

annually to encourage people to stop smoking,

?671 million on sexual health programmes, but only ?40

Around 3000 self harming patients turn up

at Bristol's two main hospitals every year.

And on the front line at the BRI is psychiatrist

Home life is very stressful, not coping with daily

life, wants help but does not regret overdose.

Lucy's day starts with a meeting in which the individual patients

She is given the case of a man in his 30s who was brought

to the hospital in an ambulance earlier that morning,

So you cut yourself with a knife eight months

ago, didn't go to hospital, and then one and a half months ago

you were here - was that another cutting?

We would worry that there are some mental health problems

He wasn't willing to appear on camera, but Lucy explains

He hasn't seen his GP, and we do know that men don't go

and speak to their doctor when they are feeling depressed.

Some of them might talk to family members -

often they won't talk to anyone, and they'll

manage it through drinking more heavily or smoking or engaging

Statistics show that in Bristol in 2013, five times as many men

under the age of 35 took their own lives than women.

And the total number, 18, was way above the national average.

So it is perhaps no surprise that the BRI is that the forefront

they are about to introduce a navigator role, which

works like a handholding service to ensure that people make use

of the support available rather than ignore it.

So that would be to try and pick up people as they get

discharged from hospital, having attempted suicide,

and help them towards the sort of support that they would actually

need, like the free debt advice centres or Citizens

Advice bureau, or perhaps they need mental health help,

So what support is out there for men who feel depressed but don't

want to follow traditional routes of talking

Daniel Edmund is a young man whose approach is to question

the traditional notion of masculinity, a factor

which contributed to his own depression.

Daniel is hosting one of his Milk For Tea sessions

So tell us a little bit about yourself,

I was born here in Bristol and raised just outside

of Washington DC, where my mother was from.

So if you think about your own struggles

growing up, did you not have that sort of emotional ballast of friends

It was one of those things where, you know, I didn't have very many

And I just didn't have that community.

I didn't have those people who said, you know,

And no real male figures, which I think

I think is really important for men to support

I have a great father who did the best he could,

but I think on a personal level, from a peer

point of view, there were very few people I could turn

to about the issues I was dealing with.

And with Milk For Tea, one of the things we aim to do

is just bring men together to help facilitate that happening

I think a lot of the issues like depression, anxiety,

even suicidal thoughts, can be stopped before even

going to any type of counselling or clinical type

I can understand how you managed to get men together in a bar,

to drink or whatever, but women need to understand how

men's minds work as well, don't they?

Our events are always open to men and women.

I think it is really important for women to join

the conversation on men's mental health, and I think it also helps

the conversation on men's mental health.

It is indiscriminate, and it transcends social classes.

Mental well-being is a complex issue.

We all need self compassion - to love,

And we all need to build resilience for when we hit the rocks

of loneliness, debt or emotional trauma.

We need research to guide us to what keeps us

mentally healthy, and we need the funding to pay for it.

And for men especially, we need to keep talking

and ask for help when we are struggling to cope.

For details of organisations which offer advice and support

on mental health, go online or call the BBC action line to hear

They say we are all just one paycheque away from the street,

and for those who have fallen on hard times,

a room at a B might be the only alternative

And although it is just supposed to be for emergencies,

we have discovered people living like this long-term.

Rachel Stonehouse has been to one familiar sounding B

This is the Dorchester on London's Park Lane,

boasting views of Hyde Park and Mayfair.

And this is the other Dorchester, Gloucester's Denmark Road,

with views looking out to its own courtyard garden.

A room at the famous 5-star hotel will set you back between ?500

and ?4,000 per night, whereas a stay at the B

in Gloucester will cost around ?20 a night.

Breakfast is extra at London's swanky Dorchester,

But in Gloucester, a full fry-up is included.

You can even have it delivered to your room.

When we checked, London's Dorchester had a third of its rooms available,

This is where we do the breakfast every morning.

This is Lynn, who is the manager of the 20 privately privately run

bed-and-breakfast for vulnerable people who have hit rock bottom

and would otherwise be sleeping on the streets.

So how many people are you doing breakfast for today?

We just keep cooking it until they you know, sort of stop.

It's just one of the emergency accommodation options

Requests for rooms come in from councils, the NHS,

probation service, and even the police.

Lynn has been the manager here for 12 years, and in that time,

How did you start working here, and did you know what to expect?

No, I just thought it was an ordinary housekeeper's

And he said, you've got the job, I don't think nobody else

The first time I started, on my first day, I thought,

It's challenging, it's tiring, but I do enjoy it.

And I feel somebody needs to help them, because they do need the help,

One of the newest residents is Stephen.

He is 60, and worked all his life in nursing -

He has been here for a couple of weeks.

So how did he end up at the Dorchester?

I lost my home due to the fact I could no longer keep up

The reason for that being is my wife of some considerable time sadly

It just left me devastated, and then I could no longer

afford the rent on my own, and so I went into arrears

and they decided that they couldn't wait for me to repay the debt.

I did have a plan to pay a little off on top of my regular

rent on a regular basis, but they wouldn't accept

To add to his woes, Stephen is recovering from cancer,

which means he spends a lot of the day in bed

He relies on the goodwill of Lynn and the other residents to give him

I was a bit too enthusiastic with the toast.

The people here, they all sort of muck in and look

Yeah, and if one hasn't got food and one has got some,

When Stephen moved in, I think Michael

Did he give you a sandwich?

But we are trying to get him to see if he can get some Meals on Wheels,

so you'd get a lot of food, didn't we, Stephen?

Thought that would be a better option than me trying to cook.

Well, I think so, because yeah, you've only got the microwave.

If we can get Meals on Wheels for you delivered, at least

you got your breakfast and you'll get the main meal at night.

Cindy has resorted to staying at the Dorchester on and off

She first came here when she left prison, and most recently ended up

here after the spare room subsidy was introduced and

She had to leave her home, and couldn't find anywhere that

I was made homeless, and one of the lads who lived here told Lynne, and

got a message back to me saying to come up. Lynne knew I had a dog, but

she didn't know how big it was. A bit of a shock. Yeah. Somebody said

the other day, you have got to put what you need before her dog. I can

understand that, you shouldn't give your wife up for -- your life up for

a dog, but at the same time he has been my best mate. He has been

through boards, what you couldn't even believe. Lynne's right-hand man

at the Dorchester is Michael, who has lived here for a couple of years

after his life took a downward spiral. He volunteers for cooking,

washing up and laundry. The bedding is all done. Tell me how you

actually came to be here. I went abroad to

actually came to be here. I went died. I came back with nothing. And

that was it. And died. I came back with nothing. And

you intend to stay? I have got nowhere else to go. Wherever Lynne

goes, I follow. Tanya is in her 30s and has been at the Dorchester for

about a year. She came here after the relationship broke down. You do

it the same way I do. You turn it. It is just quicker. What does the

Dorchester mean to you? A heck of a lot. It has been like home. Lynn has

been like a second mum. She has a mothering instinct. She is like a

mothering hen, she is so good. The accommodation is basic. The

Dorchester is only meant to be a short-term solution, but often

people struggle to read. The chronic housing shortage across the West

makes moving on more difficult. And even when they do checkout, Lynne is

still on hand to offer support. -- often people struggle to leave. Paul

used to be in the forces, but after he left and his marriage broke down,

he became homeless. He has stayed at the Dorchester five times and

checked out last year. But he still speaks to win almost every day. Why

have Lynne been such a support to you? I don't really talk to family

about my depression and that. Lynne helped me and picked me in the right

direction. And what does the Dorchester mean to you? It means the

world to me. It's not the Ritz, but it is a place to live, and every

would time I lived here, I lived here. Sometimes you have got to move

on, and that's what I did. But as soon as one person leaves, the

spaces quickly filled. No rooms soon as one person leaves, the

Can you try tomorrow? -- fully booked at the moment. No vacancies

at all, and. Just ring every morning, just see how it goes. At

the moment and nothing, sorry. How many times will you get a phone call

like that in an average day? Quite a lot. You have been here this morning

and I think that is about the fourth one. In the week we filmed at the

Dorchester, Lynne had to turn away more than 40 people. Councils across

the West have told us an emergency accommodation is at a premium

because of the housing shortage. It means it is becoming increasingly

difficult to find people somewhere permanent to live.

To be or not to be, that is the question we are asking tonight of

the Bristol Old Vic, celebrating its birthday. And we are all paying for

the theatre out of our taxes whether we like it or not. So is it worth

it? We asked Junior Saunders, who once toured the boards himself, to

find out. The Bristol Old Vic. 250 years old.

Seven and a half million people have come to see shows here over its

lifetime. The latest, Jane Eyre, has been drawing in the crowds with an

average gate price of about ?20. But that isn't everybody's idea of a

good night out. For the same price you could be at the Rovers. Or

having a great day at the zoo. Or just oddly bouncing around for a

couple of hours. The tour costs 2.6 million a year to run, with over a

quarter of ?1 million coming from our council tax. That is only about

?1 50 for every taxpayer, but it all adds up to about a third of the

city's Hall arts budget. I feel like I have a stake in this place, but

the question is, what have the Old Vic really done for us? Like many

Bristolians, I don't come here very often at all. It feels like theatres

just for the arty, rich elites. But if that is the case, how has it

survived for all this time? The history of this theatre is really at

250 year love affair between this building and the city of Bristol,

which like any love affair that goes on for 250 years... That is a

long-time! Has had some big rows, some following is out, stand-offs

and everything. But essentially be the age has survived because time

and again when it has got into trouble, the city has said, we love

this feature. In 2007 there were apparently 600 people, as many as

you could get in here, brand in for a meeting when there was a danger

the future would collapse. People from Bristol scene, no, it must not

happen. -- in danger the feature would collapse. It is a wonderful

theatre. This wonderful jewel of an auditorium. I love this building.

The most beautiful theatre to play. OK, so it is a great building. But

it takes more than bombs on seats to keep the doors open. We are

subsidised, and our biggest subsidy comes from the arts Council

nationally. We also get some money from the city. More than half of our

money we raised by selling tickets. The hippodrome, for example, very

successful commercial theatre in Bristol, survives by inviting

entering commercial work. We make the work here, which is a fantastic

privilege for us. We spent our money, which is your money as a

taxpayer, on two things. The first is, it allows us to experiment a

little bit in the work, so we are not making purely commercial work.

We are allowed to take risks, and that allows new kinds of data to

develop. It allows really interesting work to happen. It also

allows us to give real opportunity to artists in Bristol. The second

thing which is very important is that as a subsidised theatre, we

have a responsibility which we take very seriously to offer an

invitation to everyone from every part of the city to engage in our

programme. As well as that, and very importantly, it means our ticket

prices are much lower than it would be if we were a commercial theatre.

The Old Vic is committed to taking their brand of theatre to people and

places that do not normally have access to the arts. This reach work

has even ventured into perhaps the last place you would expect theatre

to thrive. Jo spent 11 months at Ashfield Young offenders Institute.

I would go out and see friends, just hang out on the estate, the board.

Sometimes we would want money to just buy clothes and stuff like

that, but how are we going to get money? Just doing petty crimes and

all sorts of stupid mess. His time Hynde bars was made bearable --

behind bars was made bearable by the drama outreach. At school drama was

the main subject I loved and I gave it to my all. But the streets, being

on the estate would take out most of my life. If the average had not come

in and made me realise I loved it so much, then I don't know what would

have happened. The outreach team also visit six schools across the

city. Today they are working with peoples on their next show. It is a

huge fun, but is it the best use of our taxes? This kind of work is

absolutely essential. At this age, getting in this early to teach

children ways of expressing themselves, being confident, being

able to walk into a room and master the room. It makes you feel a bit

special because of doing acting. Being someone else. I like acting a

lot. I was shy to go on stage before, but I'm not. You, shy? No

chance! I didn't have that sort of thing growing up. I always thought

theatre was just not for the likes of me. But then I got a part in a

player who weren't looking for a bargain which was set in Bristol and

performed right here. It was a risk for the Old Vic that the two con me,

because I had never done conventional theatre. -- that they

took on me. It was about that sense of purpose, being able to book ahead

and say, there are actually things that I could do.

That is the kind of restating the Old Vic does. The team discovers and

supports new artist that would otherwise struggle to be heard. I

don't believe in elitism of art. I know, it makes me laugh when I say

things like that. I believe we are all committed at our hearts... This

sounds a little woolly, but I do, and I think that this place and the

people who work here are really committed to keeping the doors open,

having people come in, being able to sit and listen to people. And also

when there is a fascinating story beautifully told, they come and do

something with it here and share it with the wider city. We really

contribute to the economy financially as well. People coming

to the theatre needs some to drink, hotel to stay in. It bleeds out, so

I think it is an investment. In many ways the Old Vic is a great

success. People pay as little as ?7 50 to see shows. It is committed to

making the deed to appeal to everyone. Later this year, they are

starting a ?12.5 million refurbishment to make the most of

the building and its unique history. But it will always need to be

subsidised. This theatre is a precious thing,

cherished nationally, internationally, but it is really

for the people of Bristol. We are doing whatever we can to open that

invitation out so that people can doing whatever we can to open that

join. So with hard work, dedication and a few more of these, the Bristol

Old Vic may be around for the next 250 years.

That is just about it for this week. Don't forget there is loads more to

see on Facebook and Twitter. From here in Gloucester, thanks for

watching. Good night. Coming up next week, exposed - the illegal teeth

whitening trade on a high street near you.