Inverness business to host wellbeing event

Concerns over mental health issues particularly among men in the Highlands has prompted an Inverness firm to host a free wellbeing training event. The Cairngorm Group is holding the event which will be led by Patrick Regan, of Brighter Days, who is passionate about speaking on themes such as resilience, courage and wellbeing. He also founded two award-winning charities and has pioneered Kintsugi Wellbeing groups in the UK to help people with their mental health.

City businesses and their staff are being invited to the event which will be held on Wednesday September 18 between 1pm and 5pm at the King’s Factory at Smithton Industrial Estate. Chris Dowling, joint managing director at the , said the company was aware of the problems faced by people and the impact they could have. “Mental health issues and suicide rates are higher among men,” he said.



“They are higher among Highland men and within the construction sector, the risk of suicide is a big problem. “If you put all these three factors together, we are in a hot spot.” Mr Dowling also felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic was still being felt.

“I think we have watched everyone struggle through the last four years, in particular the Covid years,” he said. “Everyone seems to have forgotten Covid - it is a memory but we are still living with the after-effects of it. “When you put the cost-of-living crisis on top of that and who knows what is coming in the autumn budget, there is still a lot of anxiety around.

“This is before you start talking about the challenges of life which people were dealing with before Covid - people get sick, they have financial troubles, people have relationship troubles. “All these things ultimately impact on the workplace.” Mr Dowling said he spends a lot of time talking to staff about their lives and their problems.

He felt the approach of businesses towards staff who might once have been expected to leave their problems at the door was changing. “I think it is changing and it is changing fast,” he said. He also cited the Considerate Constructors Scheme which includes a code of considerate practice including demonstrating what is being done for staff around wellbeing and mental health.

Mr Dowling felt there was a genuine willingness among employers to sign up to it and for those working on public sector contracts there was an expectation to do it. He acknowledged the “brilliant” work being done by mental health charities such as Mikeysline in intervening at the crisis stage and said the training event covered a different aspect. Mr Dowling, who is a co-pastor at King’s church, said he met Patrick Regan through church circles but said this training event was very much focused on businesses.

“Some companies say they already have their own thing in place which is fantastic,” he said. “There are other companies out there who want to do something and don’t know where to start. “Because of all the training, for some organisations - especially if they are small - and for charities it can be a challenge.

” Mr Regan will go through practical steps to improving wellbeing and mental health such as dealing with anxiety, perfectionism, resilience, healthy relationships, understanding the character traits of a resilient person/team and exploring the environment needed to allow people to flourish and grow. He founded XLP, a schools and community charity which he ran for 22 years, and has pioneered Kintsugi Wellbeing groups across the UK to help people in the area of their mental health. He is a mental health first aider, a campaigner on issues of social justice and was awarded an OBE for his services to young people by the late Queen Elizabeth.

He was also named CEO of the Year 2023 for mental health training. Details of the event can be found at ..