Fitness and friendships: how we started our own support group

For many years, Colin Bingham put his head in the sand about his health.

“I had a senior role at a tech company and travelled worldwide,” says the 67-year-old retiree, pictured above on the right.

“I ate badly, worked long hours and drank too much alcohol as a way to cope. Deep down, I knew it was far from the best, but I didn’t prioritise my health.

“Friends and family warned me, but I never had any health checks. I ignored how tired I was feeling, and put it down to my stressful job.”

His attitude is not unique. Research suggests, when it comes to their health, men have a tendency to be self-reliant, downplay symptoms and be reluctant to seek help.

For example, men in England are less likely than women to attend an NHS Health Check, which helps determine your future risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other issues.

It was only when Colin suffered a chest infection at 58 that he was rushed into hospital, where he was diagnosed with heart failure.

“My heart function was deteriorating,” he says. “When I was hospitalised, my heart’s ejection fraction (the percentage of blood pumped out with each beat) was worryingly low. The doctor told me my lifestyle needed to change.”

Men’s health in the spotlight

In November 2025, England's first ever men's health strategy was published to tackle the problem of men living too much of their lives in poor health and dying young.

This includes from heart disease, with British Heart Foundation analysis of UK data showing more men live with, and die early, from CVD than women. 

Launching ‘Men’s health: a strategic vision for England’ then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said: “We know that men can be less likely to seek help and more likely to suffer in silence. 

“This, combined with a higher propensity to smoke, drink and use drugs, all adds up to a crisis in men’s health that ripples through families, workplaces and communities. 

“Healthy life expectancy for men has reduced by 1 and a half years in the last decade. It is a warning siren we can no longer ignore.”

The strategy sets out a decade-long drive to tackle poor health outcomes in men through a range of projects and policies, which aim to make it easier for them to get help and feel empowered to take charge of their own health.

Stronger together 

One of the key challenges outlined in the strategy is that many men lack support networks to help them be healthy. The latest Health Survey for England shows that 1 in 5 men feel lonely some of the time, often or always. 

For Colin, a heart support group gave him the network he needed to form friendships with other men who had had similar experiences to him and make healthy changes.

He initially joined a local cardiac rehabilitation programme, but when this moved out of the area, Colin and 4 other men set up their own group.

Fellow member Nigel Holland was born with a heart valve problem which was only detected when he was 55. But a difficult recovery after open heart surgery in 2022 left him feeling isolated.

“I was sent home after 13 days in the intensive care unit,” remembers Nigel, now aged 79.  

“I felt so alone. I didn’t know who to turn to or what to do. But meeting this incredible group of guys transformed my life from simply surviving to truly living.

“I firmly believe my recovery would not have been possible without cardiac rehab and our amazing group,” says Nigel.

Motivating each other 

Thanks to the group’s support, the 5 men feel able to keep up with regular exercise and healthy lifestyle changes to protect their hearts.

Ray Cain, 69, met the others at cardiac rehab after having a heart attack in 2022.

“All of us have already done a formal rehab class, so we know we have to warm up for 15 minutes first,” says Ray. 

“Then we usually do about 20 to 25 minutes of aerobic exercise, before using a variety of weights for a strength workout. 

“In the last 10 minutes we do a cool down and stretch.”

Meeting up motivates them to keep moving. “I want to stay active as long as possible,” Ray says.

For Colin, one of the most important benefits of the group is the chance to understand more about his health. It’s something he felt he did not know enough about when he was a younger man. 

And he’s not alone, with the men’s health strategy pinpointing the need to improve men’s ability to understand and use health information (health literacy).

Sharing health knowledge

“We’re all retired but come from different backgrounds, with different knowledge and experiences,” says Colin.  

“One of us might say that they’ve got an angiogram coming up – a test to look at your coronary arteries – and then someone else will explain what that involves.” 

“It’s not just about the exercise,” says Nigel. “The coffee break at the end is also something we all look forward to.”

A chance to chat

Nigel values the opportunity to share experiences and talk about living with a heart condition. 

“The biggest bonus has been the camaraderie of the others. When one of us isn’t feeling well, the rest of us support each other,” he says.

Ray agrees. “We share any problems we’re having with our heart conditions or life in general, and I value that highly.

“Blokes don’t often chat together in this way. There’s a lot of banter and humour. I like to think that we’ve developed a tight-knit bunch of friends.”

With thanks to Hillbrow Health and Wellbeing, Eastbourne.

What to read next...