Since launching in March, over 150 sport and recreation organisations, clubs, associations and governing bodies have signed and pledged their support.
There has been a particularly fantastic response from sport and recreation clubs based in the North East of England. We caught up with Susan Hunter, Club Development Manager of the Newcastle Eagles Community Foundation, to get her thoughts on why the Charter has been so well received and what differences she hopes it will make when dicussing mental health and sport.
Why has your club signed up to the Mental Health Charter?
It is important to show all of those involved within our club that we take mental health seriously and that we don’t want to see any discrimination in any of the sites we use based on somebody’s mental health. Although we are by no means able to give all of the support somebody may need, I would like to think that we could give guidance and advise where to seek further advice and help if needed.
Local sports clubs are important touch points in the community, so signing the Charter will enable us to spread awareness of the support networks, as well as provide support ourselves through sport.
Why is it important that sport clubs and organisations recognise their role in promoting good mental health?
The environment in which sport takes place means you come across people from all walks of life. With one in four of us likely to experience mental health problems it’s not unreasonable to expect that within our player/parent/volunteer/coach population we will have people who have or are currently suffering with mental health problems.
If we are able to support those players by giving them the appropriate advice and helping to ensure it is spoken about openly, and that discussions are not associated with the stigma, then we will be playing a small part in tackling potential discrimination.
Sport is a great tool to use for both physical and mental wellbeing through a range of activities and social interactions, so it just makes sense to us that it is something we promote.
How do you hope to use the Charter to promote good mental health in your club and local community?
We will place the charter at all of our sites to show our support. We will take guidance from the national and local mental health sector to ensure we are doing all we can in our club. We will continue to deliver sport in a non-discriminative environment and promote the social aspect of being part of a team.
We’ve had a fantastic response to the Charter from clubs in the North East. What would you say to other clubs in the region and beyond to encourage them to promote good mental health?
It’s great to hear there is such a good response from the region. It is highly likely that we all know somebody, either a family member, friend or work colleague who has gone through or is going through a challenging time with their mental health and the power of sport can be so influential in helping people receive support. We need to provide a platform in sport to enable people to receive the help if they it.
Today saw the launch of additional online resources to support those clubs and organisations working with the Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation. To find out more, click here.
