'I've managed to put my life back together... Northampton Town Football Club has played a very important part in that'

Andy was 'hanging on'. He had tried to take his own life four times and isolated himself to the point where he had lost all contact with his children and friends.

He credits a casual disability football session organised by Northampton Town Football Club's community trust as helping him to put his life back together as he had given up.

"What it really helped me to do, probably more than anything, was to start to some vestiges of self-confidence, to start to get a bit of self-esteem back, to start to get a little bit of structure in my week," he said.

"I was looking to find again the things that had been totally buried, totally lost, under what I can only say as the unbelievable disability that mental illness can both be and reflect on a person."

Andy is telling his story as Cobblers' community trust looks back on a successful 2018/19, with the figures only just released by the charity.

The trust did more activities than ever before through innovative initiatives and programmes that support over 1,000 people every week, across a broad range of themes such as health, education, disability and inclusion and sports.

Projects include mental health first aid training, football-based drug and alcohol recovery sessions, men’s healthy lifestyle programmes and 'extra time hubs' to help combat loneliness.

Chief executive Phillip Smith said: “The impact that we continue to have across Northamptonshire is something that we are immensely proud of and something that we continue to grow day by day.

"We have a fantastic team who are passionate about making a difference and unlocking the club’s social value to really show we are more than football.

"A lot of work goes into making sure every single one of our programmes has a positive effect within the community and the recent story of one of our participants, Andy, is just one of many we have.

"We are proud to have made such a difference to the lives of people in our community as we continue on our mission to connect communities and improve lives.”

Andy said the disability five-a-side session and helping to keep track of the score at a disability event at Sixfields helped him overcome his suicidal thoughts and give him renewed focus.

"I'm not complacent but I am in a place now where I've managed to put my life back together, I'm back in contact with my children, my friends, the things that seemed so isolated before," he said.

"Northampton Town Football Club has played a very important part in that and I guess I go forward from here."