This week is mental health week, raising awareness of the constant battle many of us face. At SJL we take on the responsibility of looking after staff and understand that everyone is human.
As the business has grown, we have put measures in place to support people mentally, whether that be internal staff or the work of our foundation. Our focus today is on the work of the foundation on helping start-ups put a spotlight on mental health.
The SJL Foundation was set up in 2019 to support charitable projects that matter to our employees, clients and suppliers. Our Charity partner is Acorns children’s hospice, however, the foundation also supports entrepreneurs and start-up businesses.
In previous years it has supplied a grant and mentoring to a Bristol-based mental health start-up MindRun4Girls.
Zenful
One of the recent foundation works is granting £2k and a package of mentorship from Simon to Sam Neath of Zenful Men.
Having struggled with mental health issues and suicidal feelings during lockdown, Sam decided to set up Zenful Men. Which is the next generation wellness brand combining premium clothing and providing people with the tools to help tackle suicide and mental health problems.
The unisex clothing brand, recently trademarked as ZENFUL. was started up as Zenful Men to raise awareness of the high male suicide rates, They have already raised over £13,000 for mental health initiatives, whilst also sponsoring people with therapy!
They have won an award for Worcestershire Business of the Month, and are leading the way for young people in the area to try Holistic techniques that are proven to help with stress, anxiety and depression. They even have a free exercise on the website to help anyone that might be struggling. Check it out on www.zenfulmen.com
Responses
Commenting on the project our CEO Simon said ‘‘We were absolutely delighted to be able to help Sam. This is one of the many reasons that we set up the SJL foundation. To pay it forward to help people like Sam who find themselves in the same situation that I was in 22 years ago. I have been lucky enough to meet him a few times through this process and he is a really great guy, with bundles of energy to really make a difference, and with the makings of a fantastic ethical business. We look forward to working with him to maximise its success.”
We also caught up with Sam to discuss the project and he said “I’m so very grateful for Simon and his team at the SJL Foundation. It’s so humbling that the business I created out of my own struggles has come so far already. Simon and the team have already provided me with much needed direction to help me take this business to the next level. The grant that the SJL Foundation has given me has helped me purchase some new tools. This can help me work more efficiently and give us a real push to expand! Thank you so much once again to all at SJL.”
Zenful Men highlights ¾ suicides are male while only 38% of counselling referrals are male, highlighting the need to make people aware of these methods can help. It also introduces everyone to holistic methods such as yoga and cold water therapy, which can help people suffering from depression and anxiety.
For further reading on the work we do at SJL to support mental health please see our latest news page.
Remember
As a business, your staff should be your first priority. That’s why we offer a free mental health nurse, duvet days, as well as other initiatives such as working from home, socials and entry into the Worcester run supporting the SJL Foundation.
If you are ever struggling with mental health do not hesitate to talk about it. The following points of contact are professionals we recommend approaching:
Samaritans. To, you can contact Samaritans 24/7. You can call 116 123 for free
Mind. A source of advice, information and resources with an infoline and helpline. You can visit Mind or call 0300 123 3393
National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK. Supportive listening service to anyone with thoughts. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Helpline UK on 0800 689 5652 (6pm to midnight every day).
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM). You can call the CALM on 0800 58 58 58 (5pm–midnight every day) if you are struggling and need to have a chat. if you prefer not to speak on the phone, you could use the CALM webchat service.
