Every weekend for the past three months I have been hunched over a keyboard in the nerve centre of the International Men’s Day website (a cluttered room in Belvedere, full of books, records and random junk) busily updating the events page, replying to emails and keeping social media up to date. At the end of each day, I update the International Men’s Day team of volunteers (Glen Poole, Martin Daubney, Ally Fogg, Dr Ben Hine and Dan Bell) on progress.

I've followed the same routine for the past six years. While that has been constant, the day itself has changed considerably. Every year, it gets bigger, more important, more relevant. And every year, it is afforded more credibility. It's been a long struggle, but it feels as though socially we've woken up to the challenges that men and boys face.

This year, across the whole month, there are well over 70 events in the UK – the most anywhere in the world, and the most ever in this country (we were pleased with a dozen back in 2012). All marked by more and more women, men and organisations across the country. The events include Parliamentary debates (for the third year in a row), community events, men’s health events, business events, student events, political events, research launches, album launches, music video launches, toolkit launches, debates, exhibitions, conferences, competitions, comedy nights and fundraisers. Even a fishing competition on Deal Pier!