Meet The Team
Gareth John

Area I will be covering: I'll be working mainly in the Taunton and Bridgwater areas in the beginning, and no doubt you'll see me around in the Facebook group too.
I'm really interested in: Activity-wise, my main interest has always been football. Unfortunately, my playing days are behind me now and I have to get my kicks by watching my Match of the Day and my son play. I love getting outside, walking with the family and getting out into nature. For my own exercise I don't particularly like the gym, although I do have some weights I like to get stuck into at home. As I've got older I've got into Yoga a little bit too, mainly because I'm as flexible as a fence post! Away from activity I love to feed my soul with listening to music, playing (terribly) a bit of guitar and a bit of surfing.
Supporting men's mental health is important to me because: In the past I've come through some tough times mentally myself, often with the use of exercise and movement. I've learnt loads of cool stuff over the past few years and think it's really important to share what I now know, and get men taking some positive action with their mental health.
Something interesting about me is: I'm quite into the whole cold therapy stuff nowadays and regularly take cold showers and the odd ice bath.
Aden Watkins
Hi everyone. I'm Aden, a Health & Wellbeing Coach for SASP and Dad to 4 amazing kids! While those two things keep me pretty busy, I do try and make time to get out and hike the wonderful countryside that Somerset has to offer.
Area I will be covering: West Somerset
I'm really interested in: I feel very fortunate in my current role as it brings together a number of areas that I'm interested in and passionate about. I qualified as a Coach around 10 years ago and since then, I've used a coaching approach in many of my roles to support and empower people to make positive and meaningful changes to help them move forward. This has been especially useful while working in mental health, finding that it can be very powerful when grounded in a recovery and future-focussed approach.
Supporting men's mental health is important to me because: I've worked in mental health for a number of years but over and above that, I have my own lived experience too. I'm very aware of the stigma and discrimination that continues to exist around men's mental health in particular. I'm keen to explore new ways to engage other men in discussions around mental health, with areas like sport and physical activity offering great opportunities to open up these conversations in a safe and non-judgemental environment.
Something interesting about me is: I love to cook and try recipes from across the world! It's great to discover new flavours and ingredients with the family and it has encouraged them to get in the kitchen too!

Sammy Wright

Area I will be covering: I go along to the in-person group in Bridgwater and have a presence on the Facebook page.
I'm really interested in: I would like to say I don't pigeonhole myself into any one activity, but I do tend to do more weightlifting than anything else. However, I am simply a fan of movement. If it's active and raises my heart rate I will likely enjoy it.
Supporting men's mental health is important to me because: Poor Mental health has had a big hold on my family for as long as I can remember, including affecting me personally. I started exercising during a difficult period in life and found it contributed to me feeling I can cope with the difficulties I face. This interested me and I discovered I want to share that seemingly simple to grasp fact with others. I'm not talking being the best at any sport, simply moving more improves our ability to cope.
Something interesting about me is: I suppose the most relevant fact was working as a personal trainer in a forensic mental health hospital.


Aden Watkins (he/him)
West Somerset Senior Health & Wellbeing Coach
