World Mental Health Day Special: Millers fan Stuart’s brave battle with mental health
As Millers fan Stuart Wildridge is honoured by the team he loves for his volunteering work, ADELE FORREST finds out about his brave struggle to combat mental health problems
Football clubs across Yorkshire got involved in World Mental Health Day on Saturday by taking part in Mind’s ‘Do One thing’ campaign.
The initiative aims to inspire people to make one small change or take one action to look after their mental health. As part of the campaign, EFL Clubs will play their part and ‘do one thing’ to say thank you to someone deserving within their local communities.
Rotherham United has chosen to pay tribute to a dedicated volunteer at the club, Stuart Wildridge.
The 70-year-old Millers fan has suffered with mental health issues for much of his life.
Since becoming involved with the Rotherham United Community Sports Trust three years ago through the EFL charity partner, Mind, he has always been on hand to help out.
Jamie Noble, head of community at Rotherham United, said: “He has become our resident mini-bus driver, transporting a number of teams and students to venues across the region, a service which is key to the successful delivery of so many of our brilliant community schemes.
“His desire to help out where possible has become even greater since the Covid-19 outbreak and he is now heavily involved in delivering care packages and other donated food to a number of worthy causes around the town.”
Stuart has also been collecting items for participants in the RUCST’s programmes who are deemed vulnerable and isolating.
As a token of thanks for all his hard work a permanent plaque will be unveiled at the New York Stadium in tribute to him.
Stuart said he felt “flattered and embarrassed” by the honour — adding: “I didn’t expect ‘owt like that.”
His involvement with the club began after the Rotherham Mind branch signposted him to a RUCST walking group.
He began volunteering as a bus driver and has been transporting teams “here, there and everywhere” ever since.
The club are his “other family” and he is involved in as many areas as he can be — most recently being the “oldest ball boy” at a home fixture.
Stuart, of Flanderwell, said his mental health issues had begun at secondary school, where he was bullied for being overweight.
“I felt like I wasn’t good enough,” he said.
While serving in the RAF, the bullying continued and he was hospitalised after a breakdown on his 21st birthday.
“Eventually I went to my GP in the 80s/90s,” he said.
“In the early 2000s I started seeing the mental health nurse up at the surgery at Wickersley. They mentioned Mind and I started going there. They used to be on Effingham Street then it moved to Doncaster Gate.
“I still get depression. I have bad nerves and I fidget a lot.”
He added: “I still get a bit lonely. Ever since I realised in secondary school that I was gay, that didn’t help matters much.”
As a teenager, his mother and grandmother has been supportive when he told them about his sexuality.
“I wasn’t a recluse,” he added. “But you couldn’t ‘come out’ then (publicly) as it was still illegal - they didn’t change it until 1968.”
Stuart encouraged anyone struggling with their sexuality to “be who you are” and urged people of all ages experiencing mental health issues to speak up.
“Get in touch with your doctor and get them to get you to the mental health nurse,” he added.
Research from Mind revealed more than 60 per cent of adults and over two thirds of young people (68 per cent) felt their mental health deteriorated during the pandemic. Encouraging conversations around our own mental health and that of others has never been more important.
‘Do one thing’ aims to inspire people to make one small change or take one action to look after their mental health.
Supporters can get involved in the campaign by sharing their ‘one thing’ of advice or activities across social media and using the hashtag #DoOneThing.