Briggs Equipment donates £20k to mental health charities

Each mental health charity has received £5,000 each.

They were nominated by the Briggs Equipment Mental Health First Aiders, an initiative set up in 2020 to provide a network of volunteers who are fully trained to listen, support and signpost Briggs staff.

The charity donation coincided with World Mental Health Day on October10.

The four nominated charities are The Scottish Association for Mental Health, Brighter Future, MANUP? and Samaritans.

Pete Jones, Briggs Equipment’s group managing director, said: “Supporting the wellbeing and mental health of our people remains a key focus for the executive team and the business as a whole. We were delighted to be able to welcome representatives from the charities and our mental health first aiders to our Cannock office recently and formally present the donation. We were also able to hear first-hand about the excellent work carried out by each organisation in their local area and the positive impact that this donation will have.

“Throughout the pandemic and lockdown periods, we launched a number of initiatives to keep people engaged and connected during such a challenging period for everyone. The mental health first aiders initiative was a key part of that activity and is something that everyone at Briggs should be incredibly proud of. It not only demonstrates the group-wide commitment we have towards wellbeing, but also shows how our people are willing to go the extra mile to help and support their fellow colleagues.

“This donation recognises their ongoing, hard-work and hopefully the funds will have a big impact on the four nominated charities. I’d also like to thank Rosie Leach from the HR Team for driving many of these initiatives and her passion for this subject means that there’s plenty more activity on the horizon, which will involve all areas of our Group.”

Sophie Henaughan, manager of the Suicide Prevention Champions Project at Brighter Futures, said: "We’re an invaluable grassroots community project to support people to talk more about mental health, raising awareness, and enabling people to access support.

“The donation will help us to further our work; paying particular attention to men's mental health. We hope to deliver a range of projects across Staffordshire by setting up a men's recreational running and mental health group in Cannock, equine therapy sessions and delivering community outreach projects focusing on isolation and loneliness.

“We want to thank Briggs for the donation, it is received with thanks and will make a monumental amount of difference to local communities."