This year the theme is loneliness which affects millions of people across the UK.
Monday 9th May: Today marks the launch of Mental Health Awareness Week, the UK’s national week to raise awareness of mental health.
This week, which is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, is in its 22nd year and runs from 9-15 May.
This year, the theme for the week is ‘Loneliness’. Across the country, people will be reflecting on loneliness and how it impacts our mental health. Long-term loneliness is closely linked to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.
At the company’s depots across the country, HW Martin (Traffic Management) Ltd will be bringing loneliness out of the shadows and giving it the attention, it needs. Learning resources, information and personal experiences of loneliness are being made available to employees in-depot and through the organisation’s online Wellbeing hub to promote a mentally healthy culture. And employees are invited to share their own experiences to support others and give the campaign momentum.
James Hunt, Sustainability Manager and Mental Health Awareness Champion from HW Martin (Traffic Management) Ltd, said:
“Mental Health Awareness Week is all about supporting each other to understand and manage our own mental health.
“The Mental Health crisis in our industry is known as ‘the silent epidemic’ and the reality of that is heart breaking. We are working to create a positive culture where our employees feel that they can seek the support and help that they need whenever they need it.
“Physical and mental health are crucial to safe working; and this is one of our 5 Golden Commitments that form the bedrock of our Safe by Choice journey. By providing information, clarity, and training, and by encouraging our people to share their stories about mental health and wellbeing we are on a mission to raise awareness, improve understanding and address the stigma associated with poor mental health.”
Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said:
“We hope this year’s theme of loneliness will strike a chord with many of us who felt lonely and struggled throughout the Covid pandemic.
“Millions of us experience loneliness from time to time. We know that some people are at higher risk of experiencing loneliness and the evidence shows the longer we feel lonely, the more we are at risk of mental health problems.
“Loneliness deserves more attention and we’re calling on everyone who has struggled as a result of being lonely to share their experiences. We must work together – as individuals, as a society and through government policy – to reduce loneliness and prevent mental health problems by investing in welcoming, social spaces and new community initiatives.”
Some of the ways people can participate in Mental Health Awareness Week:
- During Mental Health Awareness Week use the hashtag #IveBeenThere to share experiences of loneliness to support others and give the campaign momentum.
- Sign up to walk, run or job as part of our 80 Miles in May challenge and share your photos using #80MilesinMay and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.
For more information about this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week visit mentalhealth.org.uk/mhaw or join the conversation on social media using #IveBeenThere and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek