Wirral Met College hosts week of events in support of Mental Health Awareness Week

Wirral Met College are hosting a range of activities for staff and students in support of Mental Health Awareness Week and on Wednesday, will have a ‘Wear it Green Day’ to raise awareness of mental health.

The events, which will take place both in-person and online, will be run in conjunction with mental health specialists and partners, such as Kooth, Wirral Mind, and Brook Wirral, who will be running focused sessions on ways to improve wellbeing and mental health, how to identify and manage stress and anxiety, and how to cope with exam stress

Guidance stalls will also be located at key places throughout the college for staff and students to access.

The week will be a celebration in support of Mental Health Awareness Week, building on the year-round work done by the college’s in-house Mental Health and Wellbeing Team and Wirral Met’s charity of the year partnership with Wirral Mind.

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from Monday 9 to Sunday 15 May and this year’s theme is all about loneliness.

Sue Higginson, Principal at Wirral Met College said: “Wirral Met puts mental health and wellbeing at the heart of things for staff and students.  We have a large team of specialist mental health and wellbeing staff who support thousands of students every year, to aspire and achieve.’

 “We also have an Employee Assistance Programme, which offers free 24-hour confidential advice from Health Assured and we recognise that, particularly over the past few years of a pandemic, things have been especially challenging for everyone in terms of mental health’

 “We will continue to working actively with local partners to increase access to services for young people and their families and we have invested in increasing the specialist support that can really make a different to learning, improving life choices and chances.

Rachel Gilbert, Wirral Mind said: “Wirral Mind are thrilled to have been chosen by Wirral Met as your Charity of the Year this year – thank you. All donations enable us to continue supporting people with mental health problems across the region.

“According to Mind’s research we know that more than half of adults and over two thirds of young people said their mental health got worse during lockdown. We know that many have developed new mental health problems as a result of the pandemic and, for some of us, existing mental health problems have become worse. Prioritising mental health has never been more important than it is now.

“It has been an absolute pleasure working with Wirral Met again this year, and our partnership working continues to grow. We are delighted to be able to support some students in obtaining work experience with us and look forward to exploring these opportunities further.”

Wirral Met College is part of the Association of College’s mental health charter, which places emphasis on creating an environment that constantly promotes the wellbeing and mental health of both staff and students.