Monday 9 May 2022: Today marks the launch of Mental Health Awareness Week, the UK’s national week to raise awareness of mental health.
The week, which is hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, is in its 22nd year and runs from 9-15 May.
This year, the theme for the week is ‘Loneliness’. Across the country, people will be reflecting on loneliness and how it impacts our mental health. Long-term loneliness is closely linked to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. As physical exercise is an important part of mental health, Censornet will be taking part in the 10,000,000 STEP CHALLENGE. This is a 28 day challenge starting on Monday 16th of May 2022, raising money for two worthwhile charities and in memory of our colleagues & friends Dan & Ollie.
Dan was one of the original founders of Censornet and was instrumental in developing the architecture that underpins our platform. Dan was a huge character, kind, funny, self-effacing and sometimes downright stubborn but always brilliant! Dan passed away suddenly in March 2021 and the charity we are raising money for in his memory is The Forward Trust (previously Action on Addiction which merged with The Forward Trust), who help people break the cycle of addiction to move forward with their lives, offering treatment, family support, mental health support, recovery support and education.
Ollie was a Senior Support Tech and a popular member of the team, always forthright with his opinions and ready with a joke. He was knowledgeable, helpful and had a way with people. Dedicated family man to his much loved wife Beth and Biggles (his beagle), a true petrolhead. Ollie passed away unexpectedly in April 2022 and the charity in Ollie’s memory was chosen by his widow Beth, this is the University Hospital of Wales also known as Cardiff Heath Hospital who looked after Ollie since the age of 14.
Mark Rowland Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation said:
“We hope this year’s theme of loneliness will strike a chord with many of us who felt lonely and struggled throughout the Covid pandemic.
“Millions of us experience loneliness from time to time. We know that some people are at higher risk of experiencing loneliness and the evidence shows the longer we feel lonely, the more we are at risk of mental health problems.
“Loneliness deserves more attention and we’re calling on everyone who has struggled as a result of being lonely to share their experiences. We must work together – as individuals, as a society and through government policy – to reduce loneliness and prevent mental health problems by investing in welcoming, social spaces and new community initiatives.”
Some of the ways people can participate in Mental Health Awareness Week:
- During Mental Health Awareness Week use the hashtag #IveBeenThere to share experiences of loneliness to support others and give the campaign momentum.
- Donate to Censornet’s fundraising page by visiting Censornet’s BIG 10,000,000 Step Challenge fundraising on JustGiving
- Sign up to walk, run or job as part of the 80 Miles in May challenge and share your photos using #80MilesinMay and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.
For more information about this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week visit mentalhealth.org.uk/mhaw or join the conversation on social media using #IveBeenThere and #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
