Art and Crafts Competition

Monday 18th May sees the beginning of Mental Health Awareness Week and this year’s theme is “kindness”. As dedicated advocates of positive mental health and wellbeing across our company, SGS Packaging Europe is celebrating this special event and encouraging all of our colleagues to get involved.

We’re very excited to be running an Art and Crafts Competition, which is now open to all UK colleagues. We’re inviting you to submit any form of art as long as it’s influenced by mental health, wellbeing or kindness, so be as imaginative as you like and get those creative juices flowing! All employees can take part and you can even get people who live in your household involved, making it a fun activity that you can share with your family.

This is a great way to express yourself and have some fun during breaks, lunchtimes, evenings and the weekend. Make sure to submit one piece by Monday 18th May to Jessica Thompson and Ellie Akam (their contact details are in the email you all received) and our three favourites will receive prizes. We’ll also display a selection of entries around our sites once we return to the workplace, making the celebration of mental health, wellbeing and kindness last even longer.

As we’re sure you all know, our chosen charity for this year is Mind, the organisation that offers advice, guidance and one-to-one support to anyone who needs it. Whilst it’s not essential, we would be very grateful if you decide to make a small donation to our JustGiving page, which will go towards Mind’s emergency appeal. With the coronavirus pandemic having a huge impact on many people’s mental health, the services delivered by Mind have never been in such high demand. Your donation will make all the difference to the future of this crucial charity, helping its teams across the UK to support anyone who is struggling with their mental health.

To give an idea of how our funding pot will be used by Mind, here are some examples:

·      £20 could run the online peer support community Elefriends for an hour, helping people connect with others and feel less alone.
·      £40 could help the Infoline answer calls, providing someone with vital support and information about help available for them.
·      £50 could help Mind campaign for better mental health services from the Government, ensuring people get the support they need, as soon as they need it.
·      £100 could pay the cost of an Infoline or Legal Line advisor for a whole day.

At the time of posting this blog, our JustGiving page is already at £204. Even just adding a few pounds will help the total to rise toward its overall target, which will then be sent to Mind at the end of the year to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding of mental health.

We hope that you’ll take part in our Art and Crafts Competition and also celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week with colleagues, friends and family whilst adhering to government guidelines. Great examples are having a Virtual Cuppa Break with co-workers, calling family members for a chat, and being kind to others in any way you can.

We can’t wait to see your creations and will post the winners on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn next week. Good luck!

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