Gillian Power

Gillian Power

Specialist, Global Communications

六月 24, 2021

West UK Team Members Train to Become Mental Health First Aid Volunteers

Supporting the health and well-being of our team members across the world is very important to us at West. Well-being often refers to happiness, quality of life, thriving and flourishing. Well-being can be described as the way you feel, the way you function and how you judge your life. It’s also a consideration of the “whole person.”

West UK team members volunteer to be mental health first aiders

Recently at West, we recognized Mental Health Awareness month. We would like to take this opportunity to recognize team members at our West sites in St. Austell and Bodmin, UK who have taken their health and well-being one step further. In partnership with their local council and Mental Health England, 16 team members volunteered their time to train as Mental Health First Aiders. Over the course of six weeks the team completed the required modules by giving up their Saturday mornings during the month of March.

The role of the mental health first aiders to is to act as a point of contact for team members, if someone they are concerned about is experiencing mental health issues or emotional distress. The volunteers are not to replace therapists or psychiatrists, but rather to give vital and timely initial support and connect the person to the appropriate help if required.

David Greet, Site Director, St. Austell, commented, “The last 14 months have been a very difficult time for all of us due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever is a critical time to continue to check in on the mental health of ourselves, our families and friends. This initiative is another testament to our work as One West Team, as we support each other through difficult times.”

Visit the Our Culture of Giving Page for more information on our community support.