HU Partners With The Benevolent To Support People In NI Drinks Industry
05 February 2018
The Benevolent, the UK drinks industry charity, launched a range of practical, emotional, and financial support to help employees of the Northern Irish drinks industry at an event at the Europa Hotel, Belfast on Friday 2nd February.
The charity presented its new mental health awareness campaign #NotAlone. #NotAlone which aims to encourage members of the Trade to speak freely about mental health issues within the workplace, creating a stigma-free environment, reminding both employers and employees that The Benevolent is here with professionals at hand who can help you. The campaign is available here: http://www.thebenevolent.org.uk/helping-you/mental-health/notalone-campaign/
Chris Porter, Chief Executive of The Benevolent said:
“I cannot imagine what it must be like to be living with depression, severe stress and anxiety and having nowhere to go or no one to talk to. Mental health issues are not restricted to class, race, gender, sexual or religious orientation – it can affect anyone at anytime in their lives and our Trade is no exception. I am very proud that we are announcing this campaign, to help those that are impacted by this and for them to know that they are not alone. The campaign spearheads our existing work as we begin this New Year, which will see The Benevolent offering an even greater level of support to those in our industry who are currently suffering real hardship and difficulty in their lives”.
Colin Neill, CEO of Hospitality Ulster said:
“It fantastic that The Benevolent has now extend their range of support within Northern Ireland, and I am keen to ensure that everyone working within the drinks industry is aware that the charity is there to help them and their families.”
Founded in 1886, with the vision of a world without medical, financial or personal hardship for colleagues of the drinks industry, the charity now helps to support any current or former employees of the UK drinks industry and their families facing a variety of difficult circumstances including serious illness, disability, and mental health issues.
Last year, after an increase in the number of applications requesting mental health support, the charity took the decision to launch a helpline manned by professional counsellors aimed at supporting members of the trade who are facing mental health difficulties.
Mental health is a crucial topic. The Benevolent has decided to be part of a social movement aimed at changing the perception of mental health difficulties and advocating for a stigma-free conversation.
To complement the launch of the campaign, The Benevolent has commissioned a survey targeting the experiences of current members of the UK drinks industry. The survey aims to outline current mental health difficulties experienced by members of the trade, and better understand existing HR policies or practices, so that the charity can broaden the range of support that they can offer to those suffering with mental health difficulties. The research is commissioned by Wine Intelligence and is available via this link:
http://surveys.wineintelligence.com/survey/selfserve/19b7/171205
The Benevolent team are urging members of the Trade to engage and answer the questionnaire, and to forward the link of the survey to their colleagues, employees and friends within the Trade.