Published by Neil ThompsonThe Stress Matters Support Line is to close on the 1st September. Set-up in April, initially for 3 months, the Support Line has been helping those across the events industry who wanted advice and guidance around their mental health. At its peak, the line was receiving up to 18 contacts a day, this has now reduced to around 10 per week and the vast majority of contact in the previous month has been regarding redundancies.
Laura Capell-Abra, Founder of Stress Matters says, “I am so thankful for the support of our amazing volunteers over the last 5 months who have made the line possible. I am proud that we have been able to help individuals when they’ve been trying to process what they’re experiencing at the moment and it feels like the perfect time to move into our next phase of support. We have always been clear that we want the industry to look after each other and build it into the cultural thread of this industry, this will be a major step in the right direction.”
The Support Line is being replaced with Support Circles in conjunction with James Hitchen, (I Am James…) and Sam Wilson, (Syntiro Associates). The idea of the Support Circle is to create a space each where people can join together, share, listen and support each other. This will be free and entirely confidential, those that wish to stay anonymous on the call are encouraged to do so.
Hitchen says, “No-one should feel alone, the Support Circles will create that space needed for people to find comfort in those around them. I’ve had experience of how tough this industry can be on your mental health and I’ve also had experience of how having a support network can be an actual life saver.”
On a Wednesday evening (from 2nd September at 8:30pm), there will be a core group of volunteers on a Zoom call for anyone to join. No registration will be required so people are free to drop in as they wish. The only requirement will be for people to agree that they follow the Circle guidelines:
- We are here confidentially
- We are here to share our experiences
- We are here to listen to each other
- We are here to support each other without judgement
- We are here to help each other find solutions
- We are here to support ourselves
- We are here to create a circle of support
Wilson shares that, “We are keen to hold a space where everyone feels safe and now feels the right time to do this. It isn’t just for those that have been affected by redundancy, it is open to all, business owners and employees. It’s our open house.”
The Support Circle can be accessed on a Wednesday evening at 8:30pm:
Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 82595995950
Password: 455098
Stress Matters are part of the Event Wellbeing Alliance which are looking at a way to bring the Support Line to the industry in a more sustainable way.
Stress Matters are DW's official well-being partner - you can find out more here: https://www.stressmatters.org.uk/
