Coles Funeral Directors has held a community coffee and cake morning at its new funeral home in Birchgrove as part of a nationwide push to get people talking more openly about mental health.
Attended by the Birchgrove team, residents, local business people and local councillors Graham Hinchey and Lyn Hudson the event was intended to change how people think and act about mental health problems.
Since its launch in 2014, Time to Talk Day has sparked conversations in schools, homes, workplaces, in the media and online, along with attracting support from celebrities such as Freddie Flintoff, Stephen Fry and Frankie Bridge.
Jo Loughran, director of Time to Change, said: “Mental health problems are common and can affect any one of us, yet too often people are afraid to talk openly about mental health for fear of being judged.”
The team at Coles Funeral Directors said it often finds its services requested by families grieving the loss of someone who has died prematurely due to mental illness.
Coles Funeral Directors, boss, Gareth Coles, said: “One in four of us will experience a mental health problem in any given year, but many of us are too afraid to talk about it. It’s really important to me, particularly in our line of work supporting families in their darkest hours, that our team knows there is a support network should they ever need I.T.
“Anything we can do as a local employer to encourage our team, customers and partners and the wider community to talk about mental health, is time well spent. Having these all important conversations can make a big difference to people. And the more we talk, the more lives we can change.”
