Suffolk Mind providing free mental health sessions to schools thanks to generous business donation

More than 1,200 Suffolk schoolchildren are being provided with free mental health education this year.

We have already delivered the Mental Health Kitbag to three schools in the county thanks to a £17,000 donation from Ipswich-based Axter.

The local flat roof waterproofing experts are the first business to partner with us to create a project pot tailored specifically to delivering fully-funded mental health education to schoolchildren.

Who is benefitting?

Six primary and secondary schools on the Shotley Peninsula will benefit from the Children, Families and Young Peoples (CFYP) Fund this year. This means that 1,200 pupils and 100 staff will receive the training.

Our CFYP Training and Content Manager Louise Harris, thanked Axter for their “incredibly generous” donation.

She added: “Teaching young people how to look after their mental health is vital in them understanding what to do in times of challenge.

“We all experience stress, so knowing about strategies that can help when we feel overwhelmed, worried or angry can help us to cope better.

“Axter’s kind support has given us the opportunity to reach even more pupils and the educational staff that work with them to create environments where looking after each other’s mental health is the priority.’”

Chelmondiston CofE Primary School, Tattingstone CofE Primary School and Stutton CofE Primary School have benefited from the sessions so far.

Phillip Wilcox-Moore, Managing Director of Axter, added: “We believe that businesses should be a force for good in the world; we are committed to helping our local community and our support for Suffolk Mind is one of the many ways we set out to achieve this. Suffolk Mind is one of the six charities we partner with, as part of our Climate and Community Initiative.

“It has been incredible to see the positive impact Suffolk Mind is having on the lives of young people through their schools’ programme.

“The team do such amazing work in our local community and beyond – something we’ve witnessed firsthand by offering the charity’s workshops, training and counselling services to our Axter team members. This has equipped our staff with the language and tools required to help themselves and others with their mental health.”

What to find out more?

The Mental Health Kitbag is tailored early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2 classes. It aims to teach children about their Emotional Needs through stories, activities and movement.

The Mental Health Kitbag for Young People, tailored to secondary school pupils and above, includes Life Hacks for Young Minds.