THE Keighley Cougars have announced that their next home fixture against the Rochdale Hornets will be dedicated to raising awareness of mental health.

The date of the game, Sunday, May 15, is Mental Health Awareness Day and the club will host a series of events in conjunction with their official mental health partners It’s Worth Talking About and Rugby League Cares.

Keighley Cougars have supported the work of It’s Worth Talking About since they formed in March 2020.

The organisation has been both the club’s mental health partners and media team sponsors since the beginning of the 2021 season and have played a massive part in the mental health recovery and story of their Head of Media & Administration Joshua Chapman, who is also an ambassador for the groups.

And as a part of the partnership between the two clubs, the Cougars have now launched a new range of limited-edition cotton polo shirts that sport both the Cougars and It’s Worth Talking About logos.

The polo shirts are priced at £20 each with all profits made through the sales being donated to It’s Worth Talking About by the club.

You can purchase the polo shirts now online by clicking here.

On the day of the game itself, It’s Worth Talking About will be the main match sponsors with representatives of the group around Cougar Park selling the branded polo shirts, running a stall on the Cougar Crawl, and on hand to speak with supporters who want to discuss mental health or want any further information.

Cougars will also be joined by Rugby League Cares, who will be in attendance with their tour bus outside the Royd Ings Avenue entrance that will contain a whole range of rugby league heritage for supporters to enjoy.

There will also be more events planned for the day that will be announced in the build-up to the visit of the Hornets.

But before that, Cougars will be hosting a charity football match this Sunday (May 8) at Cougar Park between It’s Worth Talking About FC and their opponents Wellbeing Through FC to officially begin Mental Health Awareness Week.

The game is free entry, with donations welcomed, with a 12pm kick-off and the Hall of Fame bar will be open throughout the afternoon for those attending.

Formed in March 2020 #ItsWorthTalkingAbout was originally set up as a single men’s mental health peer support group in Keighley, but has now developed in to a multi-group, multi-sex organisation covering the Worth & Aire Valley.

The aim of #ItsWorthTalkingAbout is to provide safe, confidential spaces for men and women to come and talk about anything that is affecting their wellbeing, mental health, or quality of life.

We have MHFA and Peer Support trained facilitators at each group with safeguarding and signposting policies in place to help ensure that the best support is provided to everybody that attends.

For more information, please click here.