Metal Health Awareness Week

Monday 9 May 2022

Today marks the launch of Mental Health Awareness Week, the UK’s national week to raise awareness of mental health.

The week, which is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, is in its 22nd year and runs from 9-15 May.

The theme this year 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.

In North Yorkshire, we will be raising awareness of mental health and sharing our resources to help support those combating loneliness.

Jane Colthup, Chief Executive at Community First Yorkshire, said: “The impact that loneliness can have on a person’s mental health can be massive. External factors such as if someone lives in a rural setting can exacerbate feelings of loneliness.

“Here at Community First Yorkshire, we have a wealth of resources focusing on the impacts of loneliness and ways to support yourself and others experiencing it. These resources are readily available for everyone to access and we will be promoting them throughout Mental Health Awareness Week.”

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.”

Take a look through our campaign page which is full of useful resources from toolkits to blogs and podcasts designed to help individuals tackle loneliness.

Humber and North Yorkshire Coffee Connect event

Continuing with the theme of loneliness, the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing Team are holding a ‘Coffee Connect Event’. This is a really simple way to connect individuals in a relaxed environment, and an opportunity to have a chat with a colleague from a different organisation or team.  When individuals sign-up, they’ll be matched up with someone else participating. An email will be sent to confirm their partner with some guiding questions. It’s then up to both participants to organise a convenient time for a 30-minute coffee break to have a chat.

Given the geographical spread of Humber & North Yorkshire and the fact that many of us may be front line or working from home/offices, participants will need to be flexible about the form their coffee break takes. A virtual coffee break over Teams or a phone call is likely to be the best option. Please add your name here to take part.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week, the Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Wellbeing team are giving away a Wellbeing kit to all participants of the Coffee Connect event – please note, in order to receive a kit individuals will be required to complete a participant form.