The Men’s Circle - East Kent

03/09/2026

Another month gone for Men’s Circle — East Kent… ⭕️

August has perhaps been a quieter month for us, but sometimes less really is more.

Earlier in the month, half a dozen of us gathered for our Coffee Morning at The Drill Hall, including a couple of new faces. Nothing complicated — just MEN sitting around a table, having a coffee, talking, listening and enjoying one another’s company. Big thanks, as always, to Ali and her team for looking after us! ☕️

Then, last Thursday, we gathered again for our monthly Circle, where the theme was:

🔥 FATHERHOOD 🔥

It was a smaller Circle, but a powerful one... ⚡️

We explored fatherhood from many different angles: being fathers, being sons, presence and absence, love and loss, what we inherit from those who came before us, and what we ultimately choose to carry forward ourselves.

Once again, I was reminded of the importance of simply listening. Sometimes another MAN doesn’t need our advice or our answers… sometimes he simply needs the space to speak, to be heard, and perhaps to hear a different perspective himself.

There is a lot happening behind the scenes at the moment. This community is growing, new connections are being made, and there are some exciting projects beginning to take shape…
..but, however much this grows, I never want us to lose sight of why we started in the first place.

A safe space for MEN to talk.
To listen.
To take the armour off for a couple of hours.
And simply to be ⭕️
..because sometimes, growth isn’t about getting bigger... sometimes, it’s about going deeper.

Oh, before I forget, here are some key dates for September: 🗓️

* Coffee Morning, Sat 12/09, 10-12 noon at The Drill Hall, Sandwich ☕️
* Monthly meet-up, Thu 24/09, 7-9.00pm at St. Clement's Church Hall, Sandwich 🔥

Looking forward to seeing as many of your fabulous smiles as we can!

DC
💚✊🏻

21/08/2026

Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can offer another MAN isn’t advice, an answer, or an attempt to fix things...

Sometimes, it’s simply to sit alongside him — and listen ⭕️

Next Thursday 27/08, 'Men’s Circle — East Kent' gathers again, and this month we’ll be exploring:

🔥 FATHERHOOD 🔥

Being a father. Being a son. Love and loss. Presence and absence. The fathers and father figures who shaped us — for better or worse — and what we choose to carry forward ourselves.

You don’t need to be a father to be part of this conversation. You simply need to be a MAN willing to listen, and perhaps to be heard...

📅 Thursday 27th August | 7–9pm
📍 St. Clement’s Church Hall, Sandwich

Returning faces and new MEN are equally welcome 🙏🏻⭕️
£10 energy exchange fee per MAN. Refreshments will be provided ☕️🤝🏻

08/08/2026

Here are our dates for August 📅:

- COFFEE MORNING, next Saturday 15 August, 10-12.00 noon, The Drill Hall ☕️

- MONTHLY MEET-UP, Thursday 27 August, 7-9.00pm, at St. Clement’s Church Hall, Sandwich 🥪⭕️

—

Hope to see as many of you as we can in a week’s time for a hot brew and a chat! 🙏🏻

04/08/2026

04/08/2026

Another month gone... and what a month it's been 🥵

Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who came along to our Men's Circle coffee morning at The Drill Hall. It was wonderful to see such a good turnout, and especially to welcome six new faces into the group. Thank you, too, to the team at The Drill Hall for looking after us, as always ☕️❤️

This month also saw a feature by Nicola Jacobs in the latest edition of CommunityAd magazine. Thank you, Nicola, for taking the time to share the story of our Men's Circle and helping more people discover what we're trying to build here in East Kent. Your support really is appreciated, CommunityAd 🙏🏻

Then, last Thursday evening, we gathered for our monthly Men's Circle, where the theme chosen by the MEN was Failure & Resilience.

It was one of those evenings that reminded me why this community exists: there were some difficult moments, some incredibly honest conversations, and some powerful shares. Time and again, I'm humbled by the courage it takes for good MEN to speak openly, listen well, and simply be there for one another. ⭕️🤝🏻

One thing that never ceases to inspire me is seeing new MEN walk through the door, while familiar faces continue to show up month after month, investing in one another and helping to build something far bigger than any one evening 🙏🏻

Thank you to every single MAN who joined us this month. Whether you spoke, listened, or simply sat in the room, your presence mattered.

We'll be confirming our August dates very shortly, so keep an eye on the page if you've been thinking about coming along. As always, you'll receive a warm welcome 🤗

Until then... take care of yourselves, and take care of one another…

✊🏻💙⭕️🌿
DC

30/07/2026

For any newcomers, or for those who haven’t seen this yet, experience has taught us here that some basic guidelines are needed, especially seeing as this group is growing rapidly… This is our moral compass, if you will:

The Men’s Circle is a safe and supportive space where men can talk openly, listen without
judgement, and support one another through life’s challenges ⭕️

These principles are here to help create an atmosphere of trust, respect, and
understanding for everyone involved.

1. Give Everyone Space to Speak - Please allow each person the opportunity to
speak freely and without interruption. Listening is just as important as talking.

2. Ask Before Giving Feedback - Not everyone is looking for advice or solutions.
Please ask for consent before offering feedback, opinions or suggestions.

3. Respect Each Other - Everyone comes with different experiences, views, and beliefs. Treat one another with kindness, dignity, and respect at all times.

4. Be Mindful of Personal Struggles - Some members may be dealing with
addiction, recovery or other personal challenges.
To help maintain a safe and
supportive environment, please do not attend meetings under the influence of
alcohol or drugs.

5. Respect the Venue and Neighbours - Please leave the hall quietly and
respectfully, keeping noise to a minimum out of consideration for neighbours and
other users of the venue.

6. Know the Limits of Advice - The Men’s Circle is a peer-support group, not a
professional counselling or medical service. Please avoid giving advice unless you
are appropriately qualified to do so.

Confidentiality: What is shared within the circle stays within the circle, unless there is a
serious safeguarding concern or risk of harm.

Participation: Sharing is always voluntary. Everyone is welcome to contribute as much or
as little as they feel comfortable with

With all this in mind, I’m looking forward to seeing as many of you amazing MEN as I can, for tonight’s monthly meet-up, but don’t forget to stay cool and stay hydrated 💦😎

💙✊🏻
DC

24/07/2026

Date confirmed for monthly meet-up: this coming Thursday 30 July, 7-9.00pm 📆

The ‘circle regulars’ have voted for this month’s theme as well: FAILURE AND RESILIENCE - what have my setbacks taught me? ⭕️🗳️

Other key info: We meet at St. Clement’s Church Hall, next to church of same name, in Sandwich, on the date mentioned above; all MEN welcome (18+); £10 energy exchange fee per MAN; hot drinks and nibbles will be provided. 🥪

See you all soon!
☝🏻🌿
DC

07/07/2026

☕️ Coffee Morning – This Saturday! ⭕️

Just a little reminder that our monthly Men’s Circle Coffee Morning is taking place this Saturday (11 July), from 10am–12 midday at The Drill Hall, Sandwich.

There’s no agenda and no pressure… just good coffee, good conversation, and the opportunity to connect with some genuinely good blokes from the local area 😎

Whether you’ve been along before, you’re curious about the Men’s Circle, or you’d simply like to pop in for a chat, you’d be made very welcome 🙏🏻

A huge thank you, as always, to Ali and all the team at The Drill Hall for so generously hosting us each month. Your support means a great deal to our community. 🙏🏻

Wishing everyone a wonderful morning, and I hope plenty of familiar (and new!) faces are able to come along…

Until then…

✊🏻💜☝🏻
DC

03/07/2026

Here’s a little update from our merry band on what we got up to in June 📆

June has flown by, and it’s been another month full of good conversations, new faces, and reminders of why community matters so much. It was also the circle's 2nd birthday, which is unbelievable in itself... when I started this project back in 2024, I could never have imagined that this little idea of mine would've borne such fruit, and become so important to so many people, both directly and indirectly. Truly, we are blessed to be able to do what we do!

Alongside our monthly Men’s Circle, we’ve also continued our Coffee Mornings at The Drill Hall, and I honestly can’t tell you how much I value these. There’s something special about sitting down over a coffee, having a laugh, putting the world to rights, and simply checking in with one another. Sometimes those informal chats can be just as important as the circle itself.

A huge thank you, too, to Ali and all the team at The Drill Hall for making us feel so welcome each month. Your kindness, support, and belief in what we're trying to build really does mean a great deal to us all. 🙏🏻

At last month’s Men’s Circle monthly meet-up (June), we explored the theme of 'Direction – Am I steering my life, or simply drifting?'... A fitting theme for our 2nd birthday.

In truth, it sparked some really honest conversations. Life has a habit of pulling us in all sorts of directions, and before we know it, weeks—or even months—have passed by on autopilot. The evening gave us the opportunity to pause, reflect, and ask ourselves whether we're intentionally living the lives we want, or simply reacting to whatever comes our way.

One thing I continue to admire is the willingness of these MEN to show up honestly. No pretending. No masks. Just a group of ordinary blokes trying to become better husbands, fathers, sons, friends, colleagues... and better MEN.

As always, I came away feeling grateful. Grateful for the conversations, the laughter, the honesty, and for the reminder that none of us has to figure life out on our own.

Thank you to every one of you who continues to support the circle, whether you've attended a meeting, joined us for a coffee, shared one of our posts, or simply encouraged what we're doing behind the scenes. Every bit of support helps this little community continue to grow. ⭕️

We'll have more to share very soon, including what we've got planned for July...

Until then...

✊🏻💜☝🏻
DC

21/06/2026

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads among us ☀️

And today, let us also spare a thought for the men for whom this day is not straightforward 🙏🏻

For those who have lost their fathers.
For those who never knew them.
For those whose relationships were complicated, distant, or painful.
For those who wish they had one more conversation, one more embrace, or one more chance to say, “I love you, Dad…”
For the orphans.
For the stepchildren.
For the men who have become fathers to children not biologically their own.
For those longing to be fathers.
And for those carrying grief quietly in their hearts today.

Fatherhood is not only found in blood. Sometimes it is found in the man who stayed, who guided, who protected, who listened, who showed up when it mattered.

May we honour the fathers, father figures, mentors, grandfathers, uncles, and good men who helped shape our lives ☝🏻

And if today brings sadness as well as gratitude, know that there is a place for both ❤️‍🩹

Some fathers walk beside us.

Some live on in memory.

And some remind us, quietly and faithfully, that we have never truly walked alone☝🏻☀️

Also, Happy Summer Solstice to you all; the longest day and the shortest night… 🔥

Much love to you all, my brothers (and sisters) ⭕️🤍

DC ✊🏻💙