10-11 Carlton House Terrace has become the first venue to achieve a new benchmark, set out by Stress Matters, that guarantees a mental health first aider at every event.
All members of the London venue’s in-house events team have been fully-trained as mental health first aiders and the venue now offers the same number of physical first aiders as mental health ones.
The #MHFAEveryEvent campaign recently launched by Stress Matters promotes the importance of having a mental health first aider present at every event, and wants it to be seen as the equivalent to needing a physical first aider on-site. The wellbeing organisation is accredited by Mental Health First Aid England and is championing the movement by running courses for event professionals looking to become qualified in mental health first aid.
The 10-11 Carlton House Terrace events team are now certified to recognise and support those who might be living with mental ill-health through MHFA England’s ALGEE action plan.
Founder of Stress Matters, Laura Capell-Abra said: “We are so pleased to see the team at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace achieve the #MHFAEveryEvent benchmark. We know they have always been hugely passionate about people and put their health and wellbeing first. We hope the team are an inspiration to others to follow suit and ensure we all work together to create a safe industry.”
Catherine Owen, Head of Venues Sales & Marketing at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace shared: “Making our venue as accessible as possible has always been a priority and becoming fully-qualified mental health first aiders was a natural next step. Going forward, there will always be a mental health first aid trained team member at every event on-site. We’re proud to be able to care for our guests, clients, staff and suppliers in many different capacities and mental health is of paramount importance as we prepare for events to re-open soon.”
Helen Moon, CEO and founder of EventWell added: “Having mental health and wellbeing at the heart of every event business and every event is key for the sustainability and future resilience of the industry, this means not only ensuring that our teams and people feel safe and are supported with access to mental health first aid, but that our stakeholders and audiences feel safe and are supported too. Not only due to the unprecedented levels of anxiety we are seeing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but because it is the right thing to do.”
Alongside the team at 10-11 Carlton House Terrace becoming qualified mental health first aiders, they have also ensured the venue is ready to safely re-open for events. The central London venue now holds both the mia’s AIMSecure accreditation as well as VisitBritain’s “We’re Good to Go” mark.
You can contact Stress Matters if you are interested in training your team in mental health first aid or would like further information about the initiative.