Eastbourne group using power of the sea to raise men’s mental health awareness

Trunks and Hunks, founded by Joe Wills, meet every Wednesday evening at 7pm and every Sunday morning at 7am to take the plunge into the sea.

Beginning in Eastbourne, the community’s WhatsApp group now holds 143 members and has expanded to Seaford, with plans to establish another base in Hastings in the near future.

Joe, 39, was born and raised in the Sunshine Coast and his mum Annie served on the local council for more than 35 years.

He admitted that, before Trunks and Hunks, his mental health had suffered due to drinking and gambling problems.

About two years ago, he reluctantly accepted an invitation down to Luna Sauna on the seafront and found solace in the cold tubs there.

While it wasn’t a quick fix, the 39-year-old used the cold water as a way of ‘resetting’ after suffering ‘a really big rock bottom’ that pushed him into recovery.

"I really, really struggle with being present,” he said. “I'm always thinking about the next thing. I'm either really sad about my past, or I'm really anxious of the future. We have a saying - fear is future events appearing real.

“And I'm always living in the next moment. A lot of my fears are things that aren't even happening right at this very moment. What the sea does for me is it just shocks me into thinking that, ‘right here, right now - I'm okay’.”

Cold-water swimming was a revelation for Joe, having previously had little interest in exercise or meditative practices like yoga or meditation.

Seeing what the sea had done for him, he took it upon himself to create a group for men who were experiencing similar struggles.

“I just thought it would be me and my mate Bradley,” he admitted. “It turned out we had more than 10 blokes on the first one, which I thought was an absolute miracle.

“And then week two, we had 30. By week three, we got up to 60 and then, by a month, we had nearly 100 guys come down. And we just went from there.”

Initially concerned that numbers would dwindle heading into the colder months, dozens of men turned out and kept Joe company even in the winter months.

Now into its second year, the 39-year-old ‘can’t believe’ the group’s trajectory, even sharing how his creation works to support him too.

“It really helps me when I'm struggling,” he said. “I can use Trunks and Hunks for what it is, when I'm feeling vulnerable and feeling sad.

“I don't care about money. People will always try to monetise these things. But for me, the rewards I get from seeing people come that are struggling, seeing the lights come on in their eyes again, and seeing people happy - it's worth more than any money in the world.”

Having worked as an electrician for almost 20 years, Joe dreams of turning the group into his full-time project.

With highlights including participating in the Eastbourne Carnival parade and having a stall at Airbourne, he praised the efforts of all involved in the group and acknowledged that ‘I’m only as good as the people that I’m around.’

He had a clear message to anyone looking for a welcoming, safe space.

“There's something really powerful about being with someone who's been through and got the same thing as you, because then you don't feel alone.

"A lot of our fears and problems as men are thinking we're the only ones suffering from what we have, what we're going through. But you'd be amazed at how many people have felt and been through what you have, and they got through it.

“And seeing someone being through something you have, and knowing they got through it - it loses its power on you, because ‘I can get through it if this person can get through it.’ That's why it's so important to have unity.”

Next on the agenda for Joe? He has plans to launch a monthly supper group in All Saints Church in Grange Road with guest speakers from the town brought in to promote a strong sense of community on both land and sea.

To find out more about the group, you can find them on Facebook here.