Launched in November 2025, Speak Up & Dance is a Bristol-based not-for-profit collective raising awareness and funds for men’s mental health through club nights.
All funds raised go to Talk Club, with donations open year-round - whether through ticket sales or direct contributions.
We started as a group of friends after losing our dance floor brother to suicide, choosing to channel that loss into something positive that could help others.
We’re not professionals or a large organisation - just people who believe in the power of music to bring people together. We believe connection saves lives, and that the dance floor should be an inclusive space where people can feel supported, be themselves, and, if needed, be vulnerable. It’s a place for love, hope and a sense of freedom from the pressures of everyday life.
We’re supported by a range of national DJs who generously give their time, local venues, organisations and sponsors who help ensure that every penny raised goes directly to Talk Club.
To create a dance floor where everyone feels welcome. No toxicity, no judgement – just music, community and the kind of night where you leave feeling better than when you arrived.
We believe that if someone who is struggling chooses the dance floor over isolation – even just once – then we've done something meaningful.
If just one person feels seen, supported and less alone because of a night we've run, that's enough for us.
Even if dancing isn't your thing, you can just show up and enjoy the music, and perhaps some conversation.
With small independent venues under threat and club culture losing itself to influencers and selfies, we want to keep the dance floor real - just how we remember it back in the day.
We met Stuart - dedicated father and Wolves supporter - on a Bristol dance floor at a point when he felt mentally vulnerable - it took him courage to come out and he soon became part of our chosen family. Funny, warm, supportive to others and passionate about music, he was the kind of person who made every room better just by being in it. We helped him get back into DJing, which gave him great joy.
In April 2021, Stuart took his own life at the age most common for male suicide in the UK – between 50 and 54. He was 52. He represents exactly the kind of person Talk Club exists to support, and we will continue working for as long as it takes to ensure his loss leads to greater awareness and meaningful change.
This whole thing – the nights, the music, the fundraising – is Stuart's legacy.
He's with us every time the music plays.
RIP Our Stu 🧡
We chose Talk Club because we understand exactly why they exist. They were founded after a similar loss to ours, right here in Bristol. They run over 150 talking groups across the UK – including 15 inside prisons – giving men a safe, confidential space to open up and take charge of their mental health.
100% of funds raised by Speak Up & Dance go directly to Talk Club.
Whether you come to a night, donate, or just tell a friend. you're part of this. You're part of Stuart's legacy.
