Halton’s Health Improvement Team is marking Mental Health Awareness Week (May 14-18) by extending their monthly mental health hubs held in Runcorn and Widnes.

Located in Widnes Indoor Market, the Widnes Hub will be open all this week (except Tuesday) from 9am to 5pm, and the Runcorn Hub will be open next week, Monday to Friday, May 21 –25, at the Shopping City from 9am to 5pm.

The aim of the hubs is to raise awareness of mental health, reduce stigma and discrimination and have as many conversations about mental health as possible.

They have been running monthly in Runcorn and Widnes for over a year and to date the team and its partners have had over 300 conversations with Halton residents.

Lots of services will be attending to have conversations on what support is available in Halton and how their service can help keep people mentally well. They include Adult Learning, Community Connectors, Parents in Mind, Side Walk Talks, Venus, Hackback (therapy owls), Sure Start To Later Life, Young Addaction and Halton Libraries.

Halton’s Mayor and Mayoress, Cllrs Alan and Joan Lowe, went along to the launch at the Widnes hub on Monday . Cllr John and Marjorie Bradshaw, who become the new Mayor and Mayoress on Friday, will attend the Runcorn hub next Tuesday.

The Health Improvement Team have also invited secondary schools and colleges to help raise awareness of mental health by taking part in the Time to Change ‘in your corner’ campaign:

https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/get-involved/get-involved-schools/make-time-resources

Primary schools can also help by taking part in Anna Freud’s ‘You’re never too young to talk mental health’ campaign:https://www.annafreud.org/what-we-do/schools-in-mind/youre-never-too-young-to-talk-mental-health/

Local businesses are encouraged to sign up to time to change employer pledge: https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/get-involved/get-your-workplace-involved

 We are also encouraging anyone who lives or works in Halton to become a Time to Change champion so they can tackle mental health stigma locally encouraging more people to talk openly about mental health.

 

 https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/champions