Chesterfield FC Community Trust, along with partners Men-Talk and Fem-Talk, has recently been working with the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) to tackle the issue of mental health in the workplace.
Mental and emotional wellbeing is an increasing concern in such a high-pressure environment so the Trust and the police have joined forces to help combat the problem.
Katy Harrington, EMSOU’s wellbeing lead, explained that the collaboration came about after she attended the Chesterfield FC Player of the Year awards last May. She said: “A video for one of the awards showed how footballers go out into the community and talk about a wide variety of issues including mental health.
“Mental health is being promoted a lot within the sporting arena so as the wellbeing lead for EMSOU, I thought this would be a good opportunity to demonstrate to our officers and staff that even athletes who are at the top of their game suffer from mental health issues and that it’s ‘ok not to be ok’.
“I would like to thank Chesterfield FC Community Trust, Men-Talk and Fem-Talk for taking time to come and run a session for us. I was concerned that not many people would attend, however both sessions were well supported and I have only received positive feedback.
“I hope to work with Scott and his team in the future and I am sure that once the word has spread about how beneficial the sessions were, other people who were a little apprehensive about attending will now attend.”
Scott Atkinson, the Trust’s head of education and wellbeing, said: “We’re delighted to be working alongside EMSOU, Men-Talk and Fem-Talk to deliver this important initiative.
“Our wealth of experience in this area clearly demonstrates the benefit of resituating mental wellbeing services in a non-clinical environment, providing a safe and secure space where rank can be left at the door and attendees can speak freely and openly in complete confidence.”
Deputy chief constable Chris Haward, who attended the first meeting, commented: “Our mental health is so important. We all go through difficult times and often struggle in silence and only seek help when it’s too late.
“Our conversations in the first meeting were very open and honest, without judgement and allowed us to share similar experiences and see that we are not alone. It showed me how others do understand and how important talking about our mental wellbeing is and how we can all support each other if we are prepared to take the first steps and TALK!”
EMSOU is a collaborative unit bringing together specialist officers and staff from Derbyshire Constabulary, Leicestershire Police, Lincolnshire Police, Northamptonshire Police and Nottinghamshire Police to tackle the most serious and organised criminals who commit major and complex crimes against our communities. They also investigate terrorism and extremism, as well as provide forensic services for the entire region.
