As we open up nominations for YorkMix Hero Awards 2026, we’re looking back on some of our amazing winners from last year.
The YorkMix Hero Awards with Yorkshire Profiles is our annual celebration of amazing people who live here in York and North Yorkshire.
Every year we recognise those who make our communities better places to live with a spectacular awards ceremony. We receive hundreds on entries and all of our finalists are nominated by YorkMix listeners and readers.
To mark the launch of our 2026 nominations, we’ve been catching up with some of our winners from last year – including Jack Woodhams, CEO of Menfulness, who won the Ultimate Hero Award.
Founded eight years ago, Menfulness is a York and Scarborough-based men’s mental health charity that aims to bring together men to socialise, exercise, and talk – and fight the stigma against men’s mental health and suicide.
The charity hosts events, activities and counselling sessions and is an inclusive community for all men who are struggling with their mental health across York and Scarborough.
YorkMix caught up with Jack to find out more about their award win last year, how Menfulness has grown in the past 12 months, and how people can access their support.
Q&A with Jack Woodhams, CEO of Menfulness
Last year, Menfulness won the Ultimate Hero Award – an award that was voted for on the night by the people at the 2025 ceremony. What did winning that award mean to you all??
It means so much in so many ways – not just to receive the award, but the fact that was it was voted on by all these inspiring groups that are doing amazing things.
So even just being part of the event, getting your glad-rags on and celebrating the volunteers and the trustees is a wonderful thing. We go into it like, it’d be nice to win, but not expecting to win, but you always get something from it. Just to be surrounded by good people doing good things. It really feels fills your cup.
The fact that we were nominated is wonderful. So our minds were blown to win. It was mixed feelings, because obviously delighted and humbled to win, but then also thinking ‘every person in this room truly does deserve this.’
We were so grateful to come away with the award.
Almost a year on from the 2025 YorkMix Hero Awards, what has the last 12 months been like for Menfulness?
The recognition has helped us, I would say, to grow over to Scarborough. We’ve got some funding by the Integrated Care Board to go to Scarborough, and we’re out there now. I think that trust and understanding that Menfulness do offer something unique and different has helped us grow over there; and it’s thanks to certainly awards like this, to get that recognition.
Two things to highlight which is really important for mental successes, has been our research. The research, anecdotally, we’re seeing on a regular basis the difference that it makes. But as time was going on, we know that we needed more than just what we’re hearing. The academic research, led by Gary Shepherd over at York St John University, has really helped validate the work that we’re seeing.
I’m not a researcher by trade, but actually having that document – that we took down to Number 10 a few weeks ago – and to be able to show this is what we’re doing, this is the difference, and this can grow further.
Nine times out of 10 when we talk to guys we’ll just be chatting, but there is that one in 10 where they might beed some more professional input. So we’ll send them back to the GP or crisis service, and then, as a charity we had a duty of care to support people exactly where they’re at. So to be able to just be their friend but ensure that they’ve got counselling support is wonderful. It’s help us grow because it means that those 500 guys have access to counselling and we know they’re being supported elsewhere in an appropriate way, and we can do what we excel in – which is the projects, the development, and the friendship.
How can someone find out more about Menfulness?
There’s multiple ways – we have a website, we’re on all the social medias, we’ve got podcasts. If guys aren’t quite ready to access it – because it can be a big step – I know once they get there, we’ll be able to support them.
So go to our podcasts, and you might be able to listen to that whilst you’re at work and see what we’re about, our ethos and our values and what we’re trying to achieve; and give them your husband, your son, or yourself, a bit more confidence about coming to our events.
We’ve also got a page for all our events. We’ve got a board games night, boxing fitness, football sessions, walks and talks, allotments. Over in Scarborough there’s also rock climbing, breakfast clubs, and more.
The beauty of it is we didn’t want it to be the same as York; we wanted it to be led and run by men in Scarborough and what’s important to them. We thought let’s go out there and see what they want. Hopefully we can do that across the UK.
I’m hugely proud of it, and proud of my fellow trustees. We created this together, and we can see, hear, and feel it every day, the difference that he’s making. If you’re a mum or wife, and you’ve got a son that you’re worried about, your husband who might be struggling then, then we’ve got him. Just send us an email through, and we can send you all our events. And we know once they’re there, in this environment where men are talking and realising that they’re not alone with those thoughts. We never solve anyone’s problems, the problem won’t go away, but it’s certainly the anxiety and the stress of it is reduced by realising this is normal to feel that this way. It’s okay to feel this way.
