Ending The Stigma Surrounding Mental Health

This year, WPR made a departure from its normal activities for mental health awareness week and dedicated the week to the memory of a former colleague and friend, Stu Haynes.

Jane Ainsworth, managing director of WPR, said: “Tragically, suicide remains the biggest killer of under 35s. We have been committed to playing our part in eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health at WPR for some time, but there is always more we can do. 

“With such a sad reminder of how vital it is that we normalise conversations around mental health, we wanted to reinforce the importance of taking care of our mental wellbeing for our whole team.”

As well as making donations to two charities close to Stu’s heart – ANDYSMANCLUB and Chasing the Stigma – WPR’s Thrive team introduced activities to support mental wellbeing throughout the week, from a meditative Mindfulness Through Music session to a group dog walk in the great outdoors. 

The week also saw the latest group of WPR team members undertake Mind mental health champions training, an initiative which has seen half of the agency – including all line managers – receive training to date.  This is in addition to WPR’s four mental health first aiders, equipped to support anyone who is struggling with any aspect of their mental health.

While mental health awareness week provides a focal point, supporting the team’s mental health and wellbeing continues year-round at WPR. New initiatives for 2023 include Ambassador of Hope training to help people understand how to talk about mental health, how to find help when they need it, and what to do in a mental health emergency.