Cheshire College – South & West’s Principal and Chair of Governors have jointly signed the Association of College’s Mental Health Charter, which promises to champion “a whole-college approach to student and staff mental health and wellbeing.”
The AoC Mental Health Charter sets a great foundation to ensure mental health and wellbeing is a priority issue for leaders and governors in Colleges. According to the mental health charity Mind, one in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England, and one in six people report experiencing a common mental health problem (like anxiety and depression) in any given week.
Principal and CEO Jasbir Dhesi OBE said that signing the Mental Health Charter was a natural step forward for Cheshire College: “Our purpose has always been to nurture talent and empower people to achieve their full potential; and people can only thrive if their mental health is fully supported and cared for.
“This Charter resonates with our values, especially with our pledge to listen, help and care. We have every confidence that this will make a meaningful difference to all students and staff.”
The Charter also extends to the College’s staff, who will soon benefit from the organisation’s annual Wellbeing Day on Friday 12th July. In previous years, staff participated in mindful activities such as colouring, movie screenings, sports, and circus skills at the College’s Crewe and Ellesmere Port Campuses. However, this year, staff have been encouraged to spend the day in any way which would most benefit their mental health.
Plans for the day range from catching up with friends, to spa treatments, to a day out in Wales. One College employee, Nick Hayward, will even be running between each of the College’s three Campuses to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
Cheshire College strives to give every student and member of staff the best experience possible by offering a wide variety of support. Across all three Campuses, Cheshire’s largest Further Education College is dedicated to developing the skills and attitudes which students and staff need to excel and secure a successful future.
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