Stress Matters, the event industry well-being accreditation scheme, has partnered with Unique Venues of London to offer mental health first-aider training for the events industry, accredited by MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) England and the Royal Society for Public Health.
The partnership supports MHFA England’s vision to train one in 10 of the population of England in mental health first aid and will place focus on working remotely, working abnormal hours and managing the pressure of events.
Laura Capell-Abra, founder of Stress Matters said: “71% of event industry professionals believe that their colleagues are suffering from stress* so offering this training in a collection of incredible venues will help to inspire event professionals to further their career in a more aware, more supportive and more balanced way. With 57.3% of all absenteeism caused by mental health**, it’s an important tool to have in the workplace.”
Lisa Hatswell from Unique Venues of London said: “The health and wellbeing of our members, and the wider events industry, is incredibly important to us so we have partnered with Stress Matters to run this programme. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this training will have and are proud to play a part in this essential campaign to raise awareness of mental health issues in our sector.”
Mental health first aiders will complete an official course giving them the tools to support others by spotting the symptoms of mental health issues, offering initial help and guiding a person toward support. They will aim to reach out to someone before a crisis happens and help to listen, reassure and respond. Having people at their best level of wellbeing and productivity is of huge benefit.
Companies that have trained and implemented their use into their company wellbeing plan such as Capita Travel & Events, The NEC Group and RPM are already seeing a positive impact in their company culture.
The courses will start in July 2019 and the first course will be hosted at the Design Museum on 17th and 18th July, which will be open to all members of the events industry. The two-day course will cost £300 + VAT per person with a £50 discount for Stress Matters pledgers. Attendees will be provided all relevant materials and certification of their attendance as a mental health first aider.
*According to the findings of a survey conducted by Stress Matters September 2017
** According to http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1718.pdf
Author: Molly Hookings
Molly joined the editorial team in March 2019. She has several years’ experience working in broadcast and journalism, as well as marketing and PR. Past experience includes working for the BBC and independent publishing houses. If you have a story you think Molly might be interested in, please email: molly@eventindustrynews.com
