The Brightstar Group is marking Mental Health Awareness Week (MHAW) with a programme of events and activities.

They will be held at both its Brightstar and Sirius offices to build awareness and encourage discussion around this year’s theme of loneliness.

Throughout the week, the group’s Mental Health First Aid Team will be leading activities to raise awareness in recognising signs that people may be experiencing loneliness and offer guidance on what to do if you are experiencing loneliness, as well as how to support other who may be experiencing loneliness.

In addition, the Brightstar Group will be raising money for their charity partners for this year, the Alzheimer’s Society (Brightstar) and SANE (Sirius), as well as providing education on how both dementia and mental health problems link to the theme of loneliness.

Clare Jupp (pictured), director of people development at the Brightstar Group, said: “At Brightstar we will have a different daily theme that considers the concept of loneliness and we are planning a team challenge to encourage people to work with other team members with whom they may not usually have a close working relationship or friendship.

“We are trying to promote inclusivity and to ensure that team members who might feel slightly isolated for different reasons, perhaps because they are new or shy, to work together. At Sirius we have assembled talking groups to define loneliness and consider what factors and cause lead to loneliness and isolation. By defining these, it is hoped that we can be more aware of potentially vulnerable persons and offer support where needed.

“We’ll also be fundraising throughout the week for the mental health charity SANE and also the Alzheimer’s Society as we believe this links well with the theme of loneliness. Many people suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia feel isolated, as do their friends, family and carers who often face very difficult situations, having to deal with the day-to-day challenges of knowing and supporting a person suffering from dementia.

“This also ties in well with the Charity Ball that our Group Chief Operating Officer, William Lloyd-Hayward, is organising in the autumn. At the last count, there were still tables available, so there remain opportunities for businesses in the industry to support this extremely worthwhile cause.”