Partner Article

Leeds Leads: Healthy Minds for a Thriving City

A ground breaking mental health event for business leaders is to be held on World Mental Health Day, Monday 10th October 2016 in Leeds.

Leeds Community Foundation’s annual lecture follows on from this year’s successful launch of The Leeds Fund, with the strategic focus for 2016 being Mental Health. The Leeds Leads: Healthy Minds for a Thriving City lecture will take place on Monday 10th October from 17.00-20.00 at Asda MCE and is being supported by Standard Life, Asda and Depuy Synthes.

Keynote speakers on the evening include writer, strategist and former spokesman for Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell, ex-footballer Clarke Carlisle and CEO of Leeds City Council, Tom Riordan, who have all been personally affected by mental health issues and have a vested interest in working to resolve the issues that mental health can present. Business leaders will also have the opportunity to hear from Asda who are truly leading the way in tackling these types of challenges in the workplace.

The thought- provoking and stimulating lecture provides the opportunity for an open conversation about mental health, understanding the widespread and misunderstood issues in the workplace and the community, challenging the stereotypical assumptions that can lead to misunderstanding, conflict, disruption and wasted cost. It will focus on how Leeds is affected by mental health, what is being done currently, and how everyone can get involved in order to heighten awareness, prevent, or learn to live with the issues and opportunities that mental health present to us in Leeds.

Sally-Anne Greenfield, Chief Executive of Leeds Community Foundation, says “Leeds Leads: Healthy Minds for a Thriving City is a call to action for businesses to ‘play your part’ in recognising, understanding and supporting mental health issues in the workplace and the city. Following on from the launch of The Leeds Fund earlier in the year, we have been inundated with applications which truly reflect the greatest need in the city and the challenges we face dealing with mental health, now and in the future.”

Tom Riordan, Chief Executive, Leeds City Council, says “Leeds has pledged to become a beacon city for mental health and tackling it is a priority for Leeds City Council and our NHS partners. Mental Health affects 1 in 4 of us at some point in our lives and has a significant impact on individuals and families, on businesses and on whether Leeds can achieve our ambition of being a compassionate city with a strong economy. As someone who has been affected all my life by mental health issues within my family, I am proud to be the council’s designated mental health champion, and I strongly believe that the more we speak out about our personal experiences of mental health, the easier it will be for people to overcome their own challenges.”

Aidan Butler, Private Client Head, Standard Life Wealth says “Standard Life Wealth is very proud to support the Leeds Leads: Healthy Minds for a Thriving City event and to hear from such significant and inspirational speakers. The event is truly one of the first discussions about mental health for business leaders in the city and we are pleased to encourage these vital conversations to eradicate the stigma around mental health, so we develop an open and accepting culture in the workplace.”

For more information about the event, or to register, please visit: www.leedscf.org.uk/Leeds-Leads-2016

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kirsty McKinnon .