Football club sends letter of support to fan who wrote about depression on social media
A man who posted about living with depression has received a touching letter from the CEO of the football club he supports.
Chris Ryder posted a photo of the letter sent to him by Gauthier Ganaye, chief executive of Barnsley Football Club in South Yorkshire, UK.
"Sorry for sending you a letter at random, but I felt like I wanted to reach out to you and get in touch," wrote Gauthier Ganaye in the letter. "I've noticed through social media that you've had a bit of a hard time recently, I'm not sure what it is but I hope everything improves for you as soon as possible."
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"You've been a fan of the club for many years and always supported us, so we want you to know that if the favour needs returning and we need to support you, please do let us know," the letter continues.
Ganaye also told Ryder that his door "is always open" if he wants to "swing by any time." He also provided the contact details for mental health charity Mind, should Ryder need it.
Ryder's tweet, hailing the club "the best football club in the world" went viral, gaining 118K likes and 24K retweets.
J.K. Rowling also spotted the gesture and showed her support.
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Ryder told the BBC he was shocked when he received the letter.
"Initially, when I saw the badge on the top of letter, I thought, 'Uh-oh, what have I done?'" said Ryder. "I’ve been known to be a little bit cheeky, all good fun, to the guys who run the social media page so reading it I was really shocked."
If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. If you're in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116 123. For international resources, this list is a good place to start.
Topics Health Mental Health
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
