Penarth-Based Speakeasy Club Receives £10,000 Boost from Barbarians FC Charitable Trust to Support Men’s Mental Health
Speakeasy Club, a community initiative born in Penarth to tackle Men’s mental health through the power of sport and conversation, has been awarded a £10,000 grant from the Barbarians FC Charitable Trust. The funding will help expand Speakeasy. The club’s growing network of projects is designed to get men talking, connecting, and supporting one another — on and off the pitch.
Interested in supporting our mission and getting a Speakeasy Club Pack for your club, thanks to our partnership with Gilbert Rugby? Get in touch today!
The Barbarians FC Charitable Trust, which supports causes that reflect the club’s inclusive and community-driven values, recognised Speakeasy Club’s unique approach to addressing deeply concerning issues. According to the latest ONS data (August 2024), the UK recorded the highest male suicide rate since 1999, with Wales reporting 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people — higher than both 2022 and England. Men aged 45–49 remain the most at-risk group, the same age group most active in community rugby.
Founded in Penarth, South Wales — a town with a long and storied connection to the Barbarians — Speakeasy Club began as a simple idea: to create spaces where men could talk more easily about life’s challenges. From those beginnings, it has grown into a national movement that uses sport, shared experience, and curiosity to spark open conversations around mental health.
Through initiatives like the Speakeasy Benches — now installed at sports clubs, cafés, and community spaces across Wales and beyond — men can access free online resources and support at the scan of a QR code. The Club’s podcasts, walking challenges, and ambassador Partnerships with leading sports figures have also helped normalise conversations around wellbeing.
The £10,000 grant from the Barbarians FC Charitable Trust will be used to support four key areas of work:
● Legacy & Accessibility: Installation of the iconic pink Speakeasy Benches with Barbarians club colours on the seats, each featuring a QR code linking to free online mental health resources.
● Storytelling & Connection: Sharing the story of the Barbarians’ Benches and celebrating the link between community clubs and former Barbarians players.
● Legacy & Visibility: Production of Gilbert rugby balls & Speakeasy club packs featuring Speakeasy Club QR codes, to be used in training or displayed in clubhouses as daily reminders to talk, listen, and look after one another.
● Education: Delivery of educational workshops, equipping local players and coaches with tools to #lookaftertheboys through rugby.
The rollout of the Speakeasy Club balls and club packs will be delivered in partnership with world-leading rugby brand Gilbert, a company with a long-standing relationship with the
Barbarians. The collaboration brings together three organisations united by shared values — connection, community, and care for the game and its people.
“We’re incredibly proud to receive this support from the Barbarians FC Charitable Trust,” said Simon Clarke, founder of Speakeasy Club. “The Barbarians’ connection to Penarth runs deep, and this partnership feels like a homecoming. Together with the Barbarians and Gilbert, we’re backing the men who might look strong on the outside but are silently struggling on the inside.”
A spokesperson for the Barbarians Rugby Charitable Trust added: “We are proud to be supporting Speakeasy Club and the great work they do. Barbarians F.C. is supported across the world on the field, and, since its inception in 2004, the Barbarians Rugby Charitable Trust has been repaying that support by supporting worthwhile causes across the world — and we are delighted to be continuing to do that.”
As a Penarth-based company, we’re incredibly excited to be working with such a historic club. The Barbarians have a proud history with Penarth, first touring there in 1901 and playing 75 matches in the town between 1901 and 1986 — a connection that continues to inspire us today. Through our unique Speakeasy Club Packs, including QR-code conversation tools, tackle bags, shields, and training bibs, we are helping clubs embed connection and mental well-being into every session.
Do you have a story connected to the Barbarians that you’d like to share? Does your club have Barbarians who once played there? Let us know!
We’re delighted to be donating our unique packs to Old Penarthians RFC, Old Penarthians Mini & Juniors, Penarth RFC, Nantyglo RFC and RTB Ebbw Vale RFC.
Interested in supporting our mission and getting a Speakeasy Club Pack for your club, thanks to our partnership with Gilbert Rugby? Get in touch today!
For Speakeasy Club, this partnership is a powerful reminder that while sport brings people together on the field, it can also save lives off it.
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
Simon Clarke
Founder
Speakeasy Club
????simon@speakeasyclub.co.uk
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About Speakeasy Club
Speakeasy Club is a community initiative founded in Penarth, South Wales, using sport and
conversation to tackle men’s mental health. Its Speakeasy Benches, podcasts, and grassroots
projects are designed to get men talking and connecting. Each bench links directly to free online
support resources via QR code, and its work champions the message that being different — and
open — is cool.
About Barbarians FC Charitable Trust
Founded in 2004, the Barbarians FC Charitable Trust supports causes worldwide that reflect the
inclusive, community values of the Barbarians — a club famous for its sportsmanship,
friendship, and joy in rugby.
About Gilbert Rugby
Gilbert Rugby is a world-leading rugby brand with a heritage dating back to 1823. Proud
partners of the Barbarians, Gilbert shares Speakeasy Club’s belief that rugby has the power to
build connection, belonging, and well-being.