Photo courtesy of Everton FC.
The Premier League team and its official charity, Everton in the Community will launch a fundraising campaign to finance the building of the permanent facility within the next few weeks.
The People’s Place will be open to anyone and will promote positive mental health and support relating to suicide awareness and prevention
Subject to planning permission, it will be positioned within the Goodison campus adjacent to the £1.2 million People’s Hub on Spellow Lane – just 500 metres from Goodison Park.
Everton in the Community has been delivering mental health provision across Merseyside for more than 10 years, and has supported more than 5,000 people during the last decade.
The fundraising campaign will also see Everton working alongside national mental health charity Chasing the Stigma to promote positive mental health and ending the stigma and discrimination surrounding it.
A community consultation will take place to ensure that the new building meets the extensive needs of the local community and brings a significant impact to people’s lives through a diverse range of activities.
“Everton in the Community’s award-winning mental health provision is regularly recognised on an international and national stage, yet we recognise the major need in our community – and beyond – to further develop, enhance and evolve our current provision,” said Everton Chief Executive, Professor Denise Barrett-Baxendale.
“Mental illnesses, unlike physical injuries, are invisible to everyone but to those experiencing them. Their reality is no different and no less painful. Many people suffer in silence, unaware that helpful and supportive treatments are available.
“Our new facility will work to encourage people to talk more freely and will operate an open-door policy to anyone needing to talk,” added Professor Barrett-Baxendale.
“There is a real demand for this in our city and our community. Since we opened the People’s Hub we have had people walk through our door seeking mental health support and I’m proud to say we have supported those individuals. Residents in Liverpool, members of the L4 community and our fans see us a beacon of hope and support.
Everton’s first-team Manager Marco Silva added: “Since the first day I arrived at the club, everyone talked to me about the Everton family. We are more than just a club, we are a family. We want to keep creating this fantastic connection between us and our fans and all of the community. We want to support them, and we want to give them something back.
“This People’s Place project is important to us as a club. Me and my staff are here to support and do everything we can,” he added.
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
