As part of our ongoing commitment to creating an inclusive culture, GatenbySanderson has adopted the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) as our chosen charity of the year. The MHF undertakes vital work to help people survive, recover from, and prevent mental health problems. To embed the principles of good mental health into the business and ensure our people are supported, we partnered with charity, Mind, to train ten colleagues as Mental Health First Aiders.
Course tutor, Jay Gadhia from Leeds, Mind, has given staff the knowledge and tools to spot the early warning signs of deteriorating mental health, understand the importance of early intervention, and respond to crisis points such as, panic attacks and intention to self-harm or suicide. Board Director, Sam Ellis, who is now an accredited mental health first aider said:
Jay’s deep knowledge, effective communication, and sheer commitment to promoting mental health awareness ensured the group soaked up the learning. We have made a commitment to work together as a group to introduce initiatives across the business and keep sharing knowledge to develop our learning beyond the course.
Perhaps against his better judgment, our CEO, Kevin Gordon, tasked the Diversity and Inclusion working group to decide what he should do to raise awareness and funds for the charity. Really hoping for a bike ride, the group certainly rose to the challenge and voted for a sky dive!
Kevin Gordon, who boards his flight on 2nd August said
I know I have sky high ambitions for GatenbySanderson but didn’t expect my colleagues to take it so literally”.
Commenting on the jump, Mark Rowland, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation, said:
When we work with our corporate partners, it really helps when the most senior people in the business lead from the front, whether that’s promoting mental health at work, or taking on a fundraising challenge. From one CEO to another I’d like to personally thank Kevin Gordon for literally jumping out of a plane for us. I hope it ‘lands well’ in the business.
We are so grateful for anything you can spare to support Kevin’s efforts this summer. Every pound really will help. If you would like to support the Mental Health Foundation please donate using the link below.