We find out more about Hospitality Action, a charity for hospitality and events professionals, ahead of the Walk for Wellbeing fundraising campaign.
Hospitality Action is a charity with a long history behind it, having been established 188 years ago in 1837. Mark Lewis, Chief Executive of the charity, told us a little more about its background: “We were created in 1837 by the coffee shop owners in Covent Garden. They decided to put together a pot so they could help people who had hit a problem in their lives.”
The charity has grown significantly since those days, offering vital assistance to those in the hospitality and events industry. There are several methods through which Hospitality Action aid industry professionals today. The charity’s bread and butter is grant giving. This takes two forms; firstly, providing cash sums to those who have hit financial difficulty and need help to get back on their feet. Secondly, the charity also provides help to those who need aid to buy tangible items. Recently, Hospitality Action managed to aid a family who was struggling to pay funeral costs for a deceased relative, so they could say goodbye to their loved one without extra financial pressure.
Hospitality Action also runs an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): “This is a paid for service that an employer can buy into, investing on behalf of their employee base. It gives access to a whole suite of benefits including counselling opportunities, one to one conversations, guidance, and signposting. I think it answers a need in the industry for an EAP that’s specific for the unique set of circumstances hospitality employees experience.” All of the funds raised from the service are fed back into grant giving. In addition to the EAP, Hospitality Action also runs a programme called Golden Friends, which provides support and companionship to those who have retired out of the industry, helping with loneliness.
“Really it’s about encouraging people to look to themselves and prioritise their own mental health.“
Naturally, funding these programmes needs finance, which is why Hospitality Action is putting on the Walk for Wellbeing campaign. Now in its fifth year, the Walk for Wellbeing will see eight 20km hosted events will take place across the UK on 13th October. If you can’t make one of those, you can ‘Walk It Your Way’ between 10th October (World Mental Health Day) and 27th October.
“Really it’s about encouraging people to look to themselves and prioritise their own mental health,” Mark explains. “We all work terribly hard, and have laptops and phones that we’re never off, and so work can take over. So Walk for Wellbeing is premised upon encouraging people for a couple of weeks in autumn, to take some time out for their own mental health and to do it with other members of their team. It’s an initiative that encourages people to prioritise mental health and also creates vital funds for us.”
For the 20km walks on 13th October, there will be four events taking place up north, in Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, and Glasgow, but if you want one organised in your city, Mark encourages you to get in touch: “If anyone does think ‘I’d like to do that in Sheffield or Harrogate or wherever’, we’d be delighted to hear from them and we can support that.”
To get involved visit Hospitalityaction.org.uk