Suicide prevention charity reaches out to turf professionals

By Alistair March 19, 2022 09:44

Suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) has announced that it will be attending turf management events throughout 2022.

The organisation formed a partnership with Bayer Environmental Science last year, and will first be appearing at BTME in March.

A spokesman said that with 125 lives lost every week to suicide and 75 percent of all UK suicides being male, Bayer wants to help spread awareness among turf professionals that there is someone to talk to if they ever find themselves in need of support. CALM offers a free confidential support line from 5pm to midnight 365 days a year to anyone that needs it.

Maria Kuzak, senior philanthropy manager at CALM, said: “We are so excited to be working with Bayer for another year. Despite further lockdowns we reached a huge number of people in greenkeeping in 2021 and got to be part of some really thought-provoking conversations about looking after your mental wellbeing and the pressures in the industry.

“Attending events with Bayer has allowed us to reach an audience that is not only struggling but has heartbreaking stories about those lost to suicide. We hope our efforts to show people they can turn to CALM will mean less of these stories and more open discussions about mental wellbeing in greenkeeping.”

Tim Peeling, head of marketing at Bayer Environmental Science, added: “At Bayer we recognise we have a duty to protect and support those working in our industry, as well as the platforms to allow us to raise awareness of key issues.

“We are so happy to support CALM for a second year. Our joint attendance at exhibitions gives us the opportunity to drill CALM’s message home – that there is support available and someone to talk to, so no one has to feel like they are alone.”

In 2021, BIGGA reported that 80 percent of greenkeepers were worried about the mental health of someone they worked with.

Tim stated: “It’s doubtful that many people were left unscathed from the last two years in one way or another. As the research suggests, people’s mental health was certainly affected, and it continues to be. But there can be any number of reasons why people struggle and it can be incredibly hard to voice these issues, let alone seek out support for them, so the more we can amplify what CALM does, the better.”

Call 0800 58 58 58 to speak to someone on the phone or webchat at www.thecalmzone.net

Or visit Stand 338 in the Green Zone at BTME (March 22-24 at Harrogate Convention Centre) where CALM will be on hand, giving away signposting materials and helping companies to better support employees