Mental health charity and Lancashire business team up to help school children

Lancashire Mind and EPSL Educational Printing, who provide printed products to schools across the country, have come together to help thousands of children and young people by offering free mental health resources to schools. 

Since the start of the academic year in September schools have been able to download a host of free resources from the EPSL website. The resources have been put together by Lancashire Mind to help children at both primary and secondary level to manage their thoughts and feelings.  

The number of downloads of these resources, that range from a feel-good checklist to a wellbeing passport, has now reached almost 5,000.  

Tommy McIlravey, CEO at Lancashire Mind, said: “It's clear from these figures that there is a real need for resources and tools to be made available to schools so they can help their young people.  

“The impact of the pandemic along with the disruption and uncertainty that it has brought has been incredibly difficult for a lot of us and that goes for children too. They may be less able to understand and navigate their feelings so it’s important that they have access to resources that can help in these uncertain times.”  

Lancashire Mind work regularly with schools right across the county and quickly adapted many of their services at the start of lockdown to ensure they were still able to offer support.  

Tommy added: “Working in partnership with Lancashire businesses such as EPSL Educational Printing is important to Lancashire Mind and is something we are always keen to develop. 

“Management at the company have supported us on several projects in recent years and we were delighted when they suggested developing specific resources to help children during these difficult times. They also created downloadable versions of our existing materials, which have been really popular. 

“The download figures show that there is obviously a demand for the resources, and we’re pleased as a charity that we’re able to provide that support. It should also be seen as a positive that so many schools are prioritising and supporting mental health in Lancashire.”  

Russell Dawson, director at EPSL Educational Printing, said: “Throughout this pandemic we clapped for NHS workers and carers and rightly acknowledged the amazing work so many charities and community groups have carried out to help the most vulnerable in our communities. 

“We wanted to do something specifically for children returning to school in September. With the help of the fantastic team at Lancashire Mind we created materials to help them manage their thoughts and feelings as they returned to an environment that was very different from the one they left in March.  

“It is brilliant to see so many people have downloaded the resources and they will remain on our website for teachers and pupils as we continue to promote good mental health in the coming months.” 

You can download the resources at https://www.eprint.co.uk/