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Wathall’s Invests in Staff Mental Well-being

A team member at Wathall’s – Derby’s longest established independent funeral directors -has qualified as a Mental Health First Aider to support colleagues across the company’s branches in Derby city centre, Ashbourne, Alvaston, Burton and Borrowash.

Fay Bloor is Wathall’s Bereavement Support Coordinator – leading the company’s  Dandelions bereavement support groups in Derby and Ashbourne and the Grief Journey programmes which are held free of charge throughout the year to help those who have lost a loved one come to terms with their loss.

Having completed the nationally-recognised mental health first aid training, Fay will now also focus on identifying, understanding and helping colleagues who may be experiencing issues in their lives.

Fay said: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to support colleagues in this way.

“I already have a lot of experience in supporting people with their anxiety and often depression as part of their bereavement journey.

“It is also important to recognise that my colleagues’ work to support families through the process of arranging a funeral for their loved ones can take its toll – regardless of their years of experience in the funeral director industry.

“The training programme has been very rewarding and the response from colleagues that Wathall’s has invested in their mental health well-being has been extremely positive.”

Fay was officially presented with her certificate by Wathall’s managing director Helen Wathall MBE, who is the fifth generation of her family to run the business which has been  serving local communities since 1858.

She said: “Just as we support individuals and families at what is probably the most traumatic time of their lives when arranging a funeral, I felt it was important that we formalised our duty of care to our own staff to ensure both their physical and mental health well-being.

“It is obviously mandatory to have first aid-qualified staff in the workplace and I hope that mental health first aid will be regarded as equally important moving forwards.

“Mental ill health can strike at any time and affect people from all walks of life so I hope that this sends a clear message to all our colleagues that they can be open and honest and how they are feeling and that support is always available to them.”