First wellbeing workshop planned for early June

As this is Mental Health Awareness Week, SBBA feels it is appropriate to reaffirm its positive health and wellbeing strategy which it is rolliing out to all member bands during the next few months.

Taking the lead on this initiative is Damian Martin, president of SBBA’s Northern Counties association, who has teamed up with Mental Health First Aid England (MHFAE) instructor and advocate Tabby Kerwin.

“SBBA recognises the importance of supporting the mental health of its musicians and has developed a strategy to make subsidised mental health awareness training available to all its member bands," says Tabby.

“Our programme will not just make musicians more aware of mental health, but also give them active and practical wellbeing skills to help members to be healthy and flourish.”

SBBA will be the first brass band organisation in the United Kingdom – and possibly the world – to make fully subsidised mental health awareness training available to all its members.

A series of four-hour workshops are being arranged – either face-to-face or online – for a maximum of 20 people at a time, led and designed by Tabby, based on national and international statistics, expert information in mental health and elements of science and positive psychology. The first part of the course will cover mental health awareness before moving on to wellbeing and self-care with a specific focus on the needs of musicians.

It is hoped that, in the development of a sound mental health culture, each band will appoint a designated Wellbeing Champion, who would not only have an understanding of common mental health issues and the ability to spot early warning signals, but also possesses the skills to promote positive wellbeing and the confidence to support a person in distress.

“While this is a bespoke programme tailored to SBBA, we want to hear from bands on what they would like to see included in our training,” says Tabby. “One thing we are keen to stress is that the mental health strategy will place no extra bureaucracy on a band.

“The Wellbeing Champion does not have to have any previous experience in the field, just empathy for their fellow human beings and an enthusiasm to help a colleague. The intention is to build up a network of support for bands across the country.”

The date of the first workshop has been chosen – Saturday 5 June, from 9.30am to 1.30pm. There are still places available so please get in touch with Damian at brass_monkey@tiscali.co.uk to register your interest.

Damian adds: “By making these initial steps, we hope we can support individual brass musicians, decrease the levels of mental health issues caused directly by brass banding and allow our movement to become a supportive and therapeutic environment for its membership, with an emphasis on the positive powers of music and a desire to help Scottish banding flourish.”

Bands are being asked to contact Damian at brass_monkey@tiscali.co.uk with their nominated attendee and he will be in touch with further potential dates and times for the workshops. While free course spaces are limited to one per band, additional places are available at a cost of £30/head should bands have more than one interested party.