A free, dedicated support line for the events industry has been launched today by Stress Matters to give everyone access to trained Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) and offer practical support, information and signposting to other services.
The service has been available on WhatsApp from 30th March. The Stress Matters Support Line will be open from 8am to 8pm and can be accessed by texting 07481 362 111 and a trained MHFA will respond and call back.
Buddies Matter is a free peer-to-peer matching service that creates ‘buddies’ across the industry that can offer support and an ear to listen – it does not offer professional help. Laura Capell-Abra, Founder of Stress Matters said: “Everyone in our industry is being impacted and this is causing a high level of anxiety. We are seeing a large increase in the numbers of people applying to be a ‘buddy’ on our Buddies Matter programme, our free peer-to-peer matching service, but we were also conscious that there are lots of people who will need more qualified mental health support.
“We have worked around the clock to set up the Stress Matters Support Line so that everyone now has free and easy access to trained MHFAs. At the moment the support line is manned by MHFA volunteers, but we are appealing to the industry for funding to enable us to extend this crucial service to a 24-7 helpline accessible through all communication methods.”