Bristol Men's Fire. Fortnightly .

Autumn and winter can be a challenging time. The dark and the cold have a habit of taking us where we least want to go. Often, we resist, isolate or toughen up when what we really need is to be curious, to share and to soften. Sounds daunting, but the good news is you're not alone.

The Bristol Men's Fire is a community of men supporting and guiding one another through life. Each fortnight we take two hours to put down our burdens and responsibilities, share all that we're navigating without shame and without trying to fix, and guide one another wherever we're going, exploring themes of integrity, authenticity, relationships, emotion and much more.

We meet by the hearth in an earthen roundhouse in a community garden near Greenbank Cemetery — a green sanctuary in the heart of the city. We come from all walks of life and are a mix of ages, offering intergenerational perspectives.

In our modern society there is an understandable natural aversion to all-male spaces, but the beauty of a single-sex space is that underneath the roles, personas and ego, our experiences are often surprisingly similar and relatable.

Wherever you're at, the chances are you're not the first to have been there. Whatever you are carrying, whatever you're navigating, whatever you are bringing, there is a seat for you at the fire.