Solent Mind – Our Charity Partner

Workplace wellbeing is more than just a buzzword. According to Solent Mind, poor mental health is now the number one reason for employee absence, with at least one in six workers experiencing common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression in any given week.

We value our people, which is why over the past year we have introduced several working groups within CMA to help support our culture and values. Never before has mental health been so relevant and as employers we believe it should be at the forefront of HR strategies. By implementing these groups and new processes, we’re empowering our own team to open up, manage stress better and feel comfortable seeking help when they need it.

Now, thanks to our Social Impact Working Group, we’re delighted to announce our Charity Partner for 2022. This year CMA will be supporting mental health charity Solent Mind. It’s the first year we have done this sort of collaboration and we couldn’t think of a better charity to kick off the initiative with.

Solent Mind is a charity working towards better mental health in Hampshire. They collaborate with national mental health charity Mind to make sure their pioneering campaigns, information and research makes a difference in Hampshire.

Operations Director Neil Philips says: “By supporting such an important local charity we are able to further the conversations around mental health in the workplace, while also giving our team the chance to give back to the local community and support those in need.”

In addition to fundraising for this great local cause, we have lots of important events planned. These activities will highlight the importance of mental health and wellbeing and will be led by the Social Impact and Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Groups.

Move for Mind

We’ve already held a Time to Talk breakfast for all our offices, led by Nikki Walker, head of our mental health and wellbeing working group and hosted by the group ambassadors. This encouraged making Time to Talk and also happily involved plenty of cake and pastries.

Now, this February, CMA’s Social Impact and Mental Health working groups are collaborating to join the Move for Mind initiative, in aid of Solent Mind.

Nikki Walker says: “We’re excited to take part in the Move for Mind initiative. We all know that exercise boosts endorphins and is great for your mental health and wellbeing, but it can also improve focus and productivity. As part of this initiative I’ll be adding additional time on to gym sessions and taking time to walk and get away from my desk during the day.”

This 30-day activity starts from Monday 14th February and we’ll be encouraging our entire team to move more! It could be a longer lunchtime walk or a jog around the park before work – all we’re asking is that it’s more than usual. How big or small is up to the individual, we just want our team to get moving! We’ll also be hosting fun inter-office competitions to help keep everyone motivated!

We’ll be sharing details of more of our initiatives over the coming weeks. You can watch our progress and see what our team get up to on our social media channels.

If you’d like to donate to help us raise some funds for Solent Mind you can do so here.