Police take on nurses as staff get on their bikes to raise awareness of mental health

Greater Manchester Police, the Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Sanctuary and The Big Life Group went head to head last week as they took part in a BMX time trial at the Manchester Velodrome.

The race was organised by GMP as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, with participants taking to the racetrack to compete in a time trial. This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week ran 12-18 May with the theme of ‘anxiety’. A series of events ran throughout the week, organised by GMP in collaboration with a number of mental health experts to raise awareness of mental health issues to provide support and help remove the stigma. Chief Inspector Patrick McKelvey said: “The event was a great success and a lot of fun for all involved.

Mental health is an area we are always seeking to learn more about and better our response, and working in partnership is a great way to do just that. “The event not only raised awareness of the need to speak openly about mental health, but allowed for staff from a number of organisations to get together and discuss best practice, new methods and how to improve their services in collaboration with each other.” Jenny Blackshaw, Matron at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust said: “The competition was a great opportunity to strengthen our links with partners, who may come into contact with people who need our services. Working well together can only benefit the people of Manchester who need to use our services.”