Fife Council team to champion mental health causes

Fife Council’s waste operations team will raise awareness for mental health organisations and support networks as they rebrand their workwear and some vehicles.

Waste Operations workers were given new hi-viz polo shirts printed with contact details for four mental health charities, including NHS24, Samaritans and Andy’s Man Club – and Andy’s Man Club will also have banners adorning the side of three bin lorries in the Kingdom; an area with high demand for their services.

The charity currently has nine Monday night meetings across Fife, more than in any other region of Scotland.

Kenny Armour, Andy’s Man Club representative, said: “The club has been working with Fife Council for a number of months now and the support from the waste services has been tremendous. The most important thing for us is to be seen amongst the staff, and the advert on the new polo shirts really helps with this.

“Having a bin lorry advert is a huge addition and will get our charity name out and amongst all the streets within Fife. The awareness this will raise between Fife Council and the public is massive. A big thank you must go to all involved in making this happen.”

The charity was also on hand during a Mental Health Awareness Week roadshow event to talk to council employees at its Bankhead HQ in Glenrothes. The roadshows are part of a wider plan to create a mentally healthy workplace for Council workers.

Sandy Anderson, service manager for waste operations said: “We’ve experienced the pain of several suicides within the waste service. I think it’s vital that all managers have this training so that they are aware of their responsibilities for employees’ mental health and wellbeing and have the skills to deal with mental health in the workplace.

There is also a mental health first aider in the team, who’s trained to be a confidential listening ear for anyone who needs help”.

The council received a contribution from trade union UNISON to help fund the Waste Operations’ updated workwear and roadshows.