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NALC supports World Mental Health Day
According to Mind, the mental health charity, 1 in 4 of us experiences a mental health issue every year. As the first level of local government, local (parish and town) councils play a huge role in caring for their communities. The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) fully supports their members to champion their mental health and that of their communities.
The impact that one council or county association can be huge, as demonstrated by Essex County Association who provide free Mental Health First Aid training offered by Provide. This initiative is promoted by their health and wellbeing officer, Danielle Frost, who states that the initiative has had a really positive uptake. The training makes you aware of your own mental health, provides you with information to sign post members of the community to and gives further insights for consideration when planning events and initiatives in the community.
A recent article in The Guardian, uncovered the story of St. Ives, Cambridge, who have become the first ‘calm town’ in the UK. They champion mental health and connections between their residents by organising events, raising money for Calm, the mental health charity and raising the profile of mental health to encourage conversations about it. To read more about calm towns and how to become a calm town you can read their story here.