Milton Keynes men find the perfect - but very chilly - way to boost their mental health and wellbeing

A group of male mental health warriors found a perfect way to boost their wellbeing – by plunging into a icy cold MK lake.

The 25 intrepid swimmers are all members of city support group The Man Cave, which runs free weekly sessions for males to open up about their struggles with mental health.

There is a belief that cold water plunges can improve people’s mood and mental wellbeing, so the lads decided to put it to the test.

They met at 6am on Sunday morning to swim in a city lake – and they said they felt great afterwards!

The Man Cave was formed earlier this year by Scott Poulter and it immediately received an “incredible” response. Its Facebook page already has 2,800 followers and dozens of them meet every Monday, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Central Milton Keynes.

Tech company Aiimi Ltd kindly offers its Avebury Boulevard offices for meetings, where the men can share their problems and talk in a non-judgemental and safe space.

Scott formed the group after struggling with addiction and mental health for years and knows how much good opening up and sharing with fellow sufferers can do.

He found there was no group specifically for men in Milton Keynes, so decided to start one.

After Sunday’s swim he said: “Honoured to see so many men turning up for themselves, each other, and doing what they can to improve their mental and physical health. Warriors!”