Herts MP is 'nearly halfway there' on mental health first aid awareness campaign
Dean Russell's project was launched in September 2020 and aims to roll out this support to local businesses, charities and schools
Last updated 19th Nov 2022
A Herts MP has told us that he's 'nearly halfway there' on his campaign to train one thousand people in Mental Health First Aid Awareness.
Dean Russell's project which was launched in late September 2020 aims to roll out this support to local businesses, charities and schools.
It's been back by local community groups, along with the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
"You could go to somebody and get some advice"
"This milestone is through the work of volunteers going out and doing the training. But ultimately for me it's about enabling people to have signposting, so I would love to have it at some point in the near future that everyone who works behind a bar, as a hairdresser or in a business knows how to signpost somebody".
Mr Russell walked us through the scheme's overall aim:
"Workplaces are areas where we send so much time and the opportunity to have it so that somebody is in there, in the same way that if you had cut your hand, they could tell you what to do and where to go, I want the same for mental health".
Mr Russell says it's undeniable that the pandemic has brought the issue of mental health into sharper focus:
"It's thankfully got people to be more aware of the impact of mental health, but also to be able to ask more about it. I think what we've found in society is the more people that talk about it, the more opportunity there is to signpost people to get support."