Housing association mhs homes is taking part in the CALM Driver campaign, aimed at supporting staff who drive for business and often work alone.
CALM Driver is a collaboration between Driving for Better Business – a government-backed Highways England programme - and mental health charity, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives, and 75% of all UK suicides are male, like the majority of van and truck drivers.
Jon Gower has been a multi-trader at mhs homes for almost a year and spends much of his time working alone around Kent and Medway.
He is also a Mental Health Champion at the organisation and is delighted to see his employers getting involved in such positive campaigns.
“As a Mental Health Champion at mhs I’m really pleased to see my company engaging with schemes like this to support us operatives out on the roads. Other companies I’ve worked for over the years have not provided this sort of support surrounding mental health and it’s really great to feel supported in this way, particularly as my job can be quite isolated at times,” said Jon.
The housing association, based in Chatham, has given a CALM Driver vehicle pack to each of their 90 operatives who spend a lot of their working day alone or a lot of time driving. The packs include windscreen stickers, interior stickers and flyers that have information on where they can get support if they feel they or their friends need it. This includes CALM’s helpline which is open 365 days a year between 5pm and midnight.
Cheryl Russell, Building Manager Assistant said: “I received an email from Driving for Better Business about registering for these CALM Driver packs back in November. I thought it would be a good idea to get these for our operatives, especially in the current situation. It might help someone, and if it helps just one person, then I’ll consider it a success.”
During 2020 mhs partnered with CALM as their Charity of the Year and raised over £21,000. This partnership is continuing into 2021.
Read more about the CALM Drive campaign.
John Gower with one the CALM driver pack stickers