Mental Health

MENTAL HEALTH AMBASSADOR

Mike Webster became the Foundation’s Mental Health Ambassador back in 2019, with the aim of helping to promote and develop the Foundations work.

By understanding the local needs regarding Mental Health, along with St Helens having had the highest male suicide rate within England, SCDF has taken a proactive approach to address the issue. SCDF introduced the OFFLOAD mental health project to St Helens to support and address local needs. The sessions were run in cooperation with RL Cares. So far, OFFLOAD has helped over 2000 men build their mental fitness, manage stress better, and to be more resilient. Offload is run by former professional rugby league players and officials and is currently saving lives within our very own community.

SCDF have recently developed this into the Building Foundations programme. These sessions are supported by St Helens Public Health team and offer light physical exercise alongside well-being sessions. There are separate sessions for men and women. If you want to get involved in these sessions, please contact: [email protected]

The Foundation works closely with the local Mental Health NHS Trust, MerseyCare, with its Life Rooms sessions being hosed at the Community Space within the Stadium.

SCHOOLS MENTAL HEALTH

This program delivers full mental health awareness workshops to specific age groups, incorporating coping strategies, resilience techniques, and practice workshops.

They also provide Bulimia and Eating Disorder Awareness Programmes, with handouts and easy reference glossaries of terms designed to help children understand these types of disorders.

This project also aims to teach parents and teachers how to spot the signs of an eating disorder in children and how best to deal with this.

OK2ASK

SCDF have been working hard with its partners at St Helens Council to bring suicide prevention to St Helens.

OK2ASK has developed collaboratively with The St Helens Suicide Prevention Task Group, with the support of families in St Helens Borough who have tragically lost someone to suicide through St Helens Survivors of Suicide Bereavement Group (SOBs).

To find out more about the campaign, support groups available to help and the signs to look out for if you’re worried about someone and how to talk to someone about suicide visit: oktoaskcampaign.co.uk

SUPPORT FOR THE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES

SCDF provide support for local veterans via The Veterans of The Foundation Hub.

The Hub provides wrap around services to the individuals who need our support, moreover, offering them to veterans within the town.

This is a wide support network of specialists and partners who enable us to provide services within safe and comfortable surroundings for 1 to 1 support meetings and group sessions.

We are expanding on our Mental Health support by providing “hands on” therapy in areas like our allotments and assisting the friends of the St Helens Cemetery. We hope to find more programmes to get the veterans involved in such as the camping and fishing clubs.

DEMENTIA SUPPORT

The Foundation runs a monthly Reminisce Cafe at the stadium. This is for people with dementia and their carers. It is a mixture of fun activities – quizzes, interviews with Saints players/legends and memories of past games and the town.

Recently we are grateful to Qualitech Environmental Services for providing support for the Cafe, as our new sponsors for the monthly event.

Early on-set Dementia is a growing issue and to address this the Foundation has launched a separate programme called “In It Together” for younger adults.

For more details on any of the above programmes, please contact [email protected]