Local accountancy practice Bevan Buckland LLP has signed the Time to Change Wales pledge delivered by Hafal and Mind Cymru. The pledge aims to help improve understanding of mental health problems and to end the stigma around it.
Mental health has been a hot topic in recent years, with a number of charities, initiatives, events and individuals showing better support for mental health problems and all those affected.
Time to Change Wales is the first national campaign focussing on reducing the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems in Wales. People who experience mental illness often face stigma and discrimination within workplaces, communities, social settings and families. For many of them, this is often more difficult than living with and managing the symptoms themselves. The Time to Change Wales campaign aims to improve knowledge and understanding about mental illness and, more importantly, to get people talking about their mental health.
“We want our staff to feel supported through mental ill health not just physical ill health. We recognise that by supporting them with mental health related illnesses, they are more likely to stay well and feel safe when they talk about their mental health problems. With this in mind, we are proud to announce that we have recently signed the Time to Change Wales pledge,” said Alison Vickers, Managing Partner at Bevan Buckland LLP.
The firm will be honouring their pledge by arranging staff training and policy development. Bevan Buckland LLP’s Employee Champions will be undertaking training and development to gain awareness of mental health problems. This will enable them to understand common mental health illnesses in order to support their own mental health and the wellbeing of colleagues.
Rachelle Bright, Community Engagement Officer for Time to Change Wales said: “We were delighted to support Bevan Buckland LLP at their staff conference and excited to see their commitment to send a powerful message to all staff that mental health is something that can and should be talked about. The Time to Change Wales pledge is a public declaration for an organisation to step up and tackle mental health stigma and discrimination, and help to break the silence around mental health.”
The firm is passionate about giving back to the community and continues to support a number of great causes from year to year. They also give their staff one charity day per year to spend fundraising, raising awareness, volunteering or a mixture of all these activities, to support the charities close to their hearts.
