Working together to prioritise mental health awareness amongst employees

Mikeysline and Morrison Construction are delighted to confirm that they will be working in  partnership to help highlight and prioritise mental wellbeing and support for employees within Morrison Construction.

Joint work will also focus on key messages around the importance of people feeling able to speak out at an early stage when they are struggling and to access support as needed. This in turn will aim to help breakdown the stigma that is often associated with being able to talk openly about mental health and thoughts of suicide.

Morrison Construction will also support with wider awareness of Mikeysline to encourage others to access support, which will include promoting Mikeysline’s logo on all of their vans and helping Mikeysline to get their messages out in more remote local communities as they work on projects in these areas.

Donald Mclachlan, Managing Director of Morrison Construction said: “Morrison Construction consider mental health awareness and well being to be a priority not only for our own workforce but also our wider supply chain and the communities we engage with.

We believe that a partnership with Mikeysline is the best way to promote our aim of increasing the visibility of mental heath and highlight the assistance that is available locally and we look forward to developing our relationship  going forward.”

Emily Stokes, Service Manager, Mikeysline said:  “ We are delighted to have the opportunity to work more closely with Morrison Construction and their staff groups and can really see the benefit of this partnership in being able to reach more people directly and raise awareness of the support we can provide. 

One of our priorities in the year ahead, given the impact that 2020 will have had on many people’s wellbeing, is to develop partnerships with employers, particularly in industries where traditionally individuals may have found it more difficult to access support for a variety of reasons. We are delighted to be at this stage already with Morrison Construction.”

Mikeysline launch new pilot support service aimed at young people, in particular secondary school age pupils across Highland 

On 1st February, Mikeysline, are set to launch a brand-new service to help young people experiencing emotional distress and or mental health issues. February will see the start of the pilot programme aiming to encourage young people to reach out for support if they are struggling with difficult thoughts and feelings and their mental health in general.

What will it offer?

The service will offer one-on-one support alongside a safe place to talk and young people can be signposted or referred to further support if needed. As well as this, Mikeysline are aiming to teach coping strategies to help regulate emotions, where this will be helpful to the individual.

The 1st of February also marks the start of Children’s Mental Health Week, there has arguably never been a more important time to support young people’s mental wellbeing. 

Whether it be home schooling or a lack of social interaction, the pandemic has added extra pressures onto the already stressful life of a young person. The service is mainly aimed at those in secondary schools in need of assistance.

How will it be delivered?

Due to the ongoing pandemic, support will be offered remotely with a view to also offering face to face sessions when this is possible. These will be held at the Hive, 19 Academy Street, Inverness, Mikeysline’s base.

The programme has been funded by the Bank of Scotland Foundation’s Reach Grant as well as through funding from HIE’s Communities Recovery Fund. The initial service will run for a year, with the aim and hope that the charity can gain further finance to continue it.

When will it operate?

This resource will operate from Monday to Thursday at 4-5:40pm as well as Friday and Saturday running from 2pm-5:30pm. Out-with these times, young people are encouraged to use Mikeysline’s text-based support options. Until an online booking system is underway, young people can contact Mikeysline via email at yp@mikeysline.co.uk to book an appointment.

Inverness-born Hollywood star and Mikeysline Ambassador raises funds for the charity

Hollywood actress Karen Gillan has shown charity begins at home by raising $60,000 for Mikeysline.

The Inverness-born Jumanji star raised the money for Mikeysline after going head-to-head with fellow movie stars in a fantasy football league to win funds for their chosen charities.

The AGBO Superhero League comprises celebrities who star in the biggest of superhero franchises such as Ant-Man and Iron Man and include actors Tom Holland, Ryan Reynolds and Chris Hemsworth.

It is the second year Ms Gillan – a keen ambassador of Mikeysline – has competed in the league in which participants pick their own virtual American football teams and gain points based on their team’s success.

“I was grateful to get the chance to raise money for a charity I support whole-heartedly,” she said.

“The work Mikeysline does is invaluable to our community in the Highlands and I want to make sure that everyone knows that there is always someone to talk to at Mikeysline.  No matter who, you will always be listened to and supported at Mikeysline.”

Donna Smith, chairwoman of Mikeysline said: “We are delighted that Karen continued her support for us through the AGBO Superhero League again this year.

“The League is a fantastic way of raising awareness of the charities chosen, putting us on a global stage.

“The amount that Karen has won for us this year will make a significant impact to the services we are able to provide at a time when charities continue to be faced by fundraising challenges due to the ongoing pandemic for which we are very thankful.”