Stress Matters, an events industry Mental Health First Aider facilitator, has released a collection of 40 stories from people across the events industry which capture a snapshot of their emotional wellbeing in the lead up to Christmas.
The storybook has been inspired by the conversations the Stress Matters team have had with struggling event professionals over the last 10 months. Stress Matters was able to offer support to those struggling via support lines, support circles and through its Buddies Matter Programme.
Laura Capell-Abra of Stress MattersWhile the Once Upon a Pandemic collection gives a voice to those who have been struggling and have bravely shared their stories, Stress Matters also hopes the storybook will make others feel less alone.
Laura Capell‐Abra, founder of Stress Matters said: “It really struck us how everyone’s experience of the Pandemic has been so unique, and each person has a unique story to tell. We wanted to share these stories so that whatever anyone is going through, they would hopefully feel less alone as they read the stories of their peers.”
This snapshot in time aims to show the human side of the events industry and acknowledges that everyone is finding their own way through this experience.
Event professionals of all levels from apprentices to founders shared their stories.
In addition to support lines and support circles, Stress Matters also runs the Buy One Gift One programme to help those who have been made redundant. The Buy One Gift One programme enables anyone who books onto a Mental Health First Aid course, to gift a space on a Mental Health Aware course to someone who has been made redundant, giving them the tools to look after their own mental health in this challenging time.
To read the storybook, visit stressmatters.org.uk/pandemic‐storybook.
To register for the Buy One Gift One programme, visit stressmatters.org.uk/free‐mhfa‐aware‐course.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
