Mental Health Awareness Week is drawing to a close but that does not mean the topic should. We should be looking to improve our wellbeing daily; and even talking about how you feel with a trusted friend or family member on a weekly basis is a positive step.
At County we have made a commitment to continue the discussion and make improvements for staff, whether in the offices or on the pitch, but also include our volunteers and reach out to supporters who we know can use some extra support – we want all our supporters and the wider community to achieve their best possible wellbeing state.
This week we have met with the City Council, MPs, and MS in the area to discuss working collaboratively with interested parties across the City and beyond to enhance the mental health and wellbeing (there will be further information on this in the coming week) and that commitment from the club is outlined in the Mental Health Charter for Sports & Recreation that we signed up to in October.
During the week, we have shared articles with people connected to the club around their own mental health, from Directors to former players, In addition, we have shared information from partner charities that include tips on staying well and online drop in groups such as announced by My Discombobulated Brain this week. This has been shared in hope that we can encourage our community to discuss their feelings and mental health – it is important to know that you don’t have to have a diagnosis of a mental illness to have mental health issues, we all have mental health whether good or bad.
The theme of this week has been “Kindness” and if ever there was a time in most of our lives to be kind to each other it is now. We are all in a fight against COVID19 which attacks some of us physically, and all of us mentally. After the tragic suicide of Caroline Flack earlier this year there was an attempt at a #BeKind campaign as social media posts had a massive impact on her mental health and it would appear to be a major factor on her deciding to make that decision to take “a permanent solution to a temporary problem” (a phrase often used about suicide). We hope that the current social restrictions have helped people reassess what is important to them whilst they are unable to meet up with family and friends. We would urge everyone to make a conscious effort to be kinder in their thoughts and communication, think about the potential impact your words (verbally or in written form) can have on the person you are conveying them to.
We will continue to support you and your mental wellbeing; we are happy to signpost to mental health professionals as we are not qualified to help solve your problems. But do have relationships and contact details for various organisations and these can be found at the bottom of this article. Until we are able to resume our football look after yourselves, your family and friends:
Stay safe, have your mates back and be kind.
Newport County AFC would like to thank the following for their contributions to helping us raise awareness for this important week:
Fraser Franks
My Discombobulated Brain
Kidscape
Jayne Bryant
John Griffiths
Jessica Morden
Ruth Jones
& Newport City Council
If you do feel the need to speak to anyone or have concerns for others, please contact one of the following organisations who have connections locally:
Samaritans Newport; Text 116 123 at anytime
Newport Mind; 01633 258741
Hafal; 01633 264763
Alternatively, you can call Gwent Primary Care Mental Health Support Services on 0330 053 5596 for help from our local NHS Provider.
If you have urgent concerns for someone’s life please refer to NHS Website or call the emergency services if there is an imminent threat to life then call 999