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Sussex Cricket Launches Online Mental Health Hub

Sarah Taylor @alexgjtaylor

Sussex Cricket are the first professional sports club in the world to launch its own online mental health and wellbeing platform, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The platform, backed by the NHS, aims to offer bespoke support for people struggling with mental health through sharing videos and linking to useful resources.

Former England cricketer Sarah Taylor helped develop the Sussex Cricket Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub launched on Monday (January 18)

The Eastbourne-based cricket player said she hoped sharing her experiences with anxiety will help give others hope.

Developed in partnership with Frog Systems and with the support of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, the hub is a free, online resource designed to help users find hope and support through the power of shared, lived experiences.

Thousands of short videos have been uploaded to 'Champions Cinema' by the Sussex Cricket community sharing experiences from an A to Z of topics including addiction, abuse and body image

It's hoped the videos will reveal things that can impact or help with mental health and wellbing.

Contributors include Sussex Cricket players and staff – including Taylor, club cricketers, experts from Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust as well as individuals from a whole host of backgrounds and life experiences.

The fully searchable library also provides links to trusted local resources and further help relevant to the videos being viewed by a user.

It requires no registration, ensuring complete anonymity for users.

Have you been struggling with your mental health during lockdown? 💭 A new platform has been launched today by Sussex Cricket sharing other people's experiences with an A to Z of issues like anxiety and addiction... Read more: https://www.moreradio.online/news/sussex-news/sussex-cricket-launches-online-mental-health-hub/

Posted by More Radio on Monday, January 18, 2021

The project is a result of a Sussex Cricket working group, chaired by club president Sir Rod Aldridge, and its mission to use its significant reach in the community to make a meaningful and long-lasting contribution to addressing issues exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Office of National Statistics (ONS) data from June 2020 shows that almost one in five adults were likely to be experiencing some form of depression during the coronavirus pandemic, nearly double the pre-pandemic level.

The Sussex Cricket Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub is available now to anyone that needs it at sussexcricket.frog.net

Sarah Taylor, Sussex player, World Cup winner and nominee for ICC Women’s Player of the Decade said:

“I know from my own experiences how helpful it is to share how we’re feeling when it comes to looking after our mental wellbeing.

"Sussex’s new platform is a wonderful way of taking the power of shared experience and using it to give as many people as possible support and hope. With all the challenges of the last year and this current lockdown, there couldn’t be a better time for an innovation like this.

"I’m proud to have shared my experiences on the platform alongside so many other people from all walks of life. I’m sure the hub is going to make a big difference.”

[Image: Sarah Taylor @alexgjtaylor]

With over 3,500 members, 182 affiliated cricket clubs, tens of thousands of supporters who attend matches each year, thousands more people encountered through community programmes and corporate partnerships, over 400,000 followers on social media and more than 850,000 unique website visitors each year, Sussex Cricket is in an incredibly strong position to make a positive difference in this aspect of people’s lives.

Sir Rod Aldridge, Sussex Cricket president said:

“We are extremely proud to be breaking new ground as the first sports club in the world to support its community in this way. We have long been able to count on people’s support and we’re delighted to be offering some support back in an area that is so important, particularly now.

“It was felt with our connectivity across the entire spectrum of age, gender, background and personal circumstances that Sussex Cricket is ideally placed to reach out to our supporters and wider community at such a challenging time.

“The Sussex Cricket Mental Health & Wellbeing Hub, with a seal of approval from the NHS, harnesses the power of shared experience – so vital when it comes to addressing our mental health - and provides an innovative and accessible ‘one-stop shop’ for people to easily access support across a huge range of topics. I hope people find it useful.”

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist NHS mental health, learning disability and care home services in south east England.

It's part of the Sussex Health and Care Partnership, bringing together a system involving all NHS organisations and local councils that look after public health and social care in Sussex.

Sam Allen, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust CEO said:

“The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened our personal safety, disrupted our daily routines, uprooted our lives and shaken our world. It isn’t easy to maintain mental wellbeing, personal resilience and optimism when we are surrounded and affected by such unsettling uncertainty.

"This is why I’m so pleased we are working with Sussex Cricket on this fantastic resource to provide advice, information and support about mental health and wellbeing for our local communities.”

 

Glasgo-based Frog Systems developed the first dedicated mental wellness video platform to utilise the power of the lived experience to communicate positive messages of hope, support, and encouragement.

Phil Worms, CEO of Frog Systems said:

"Over the recent months the nation has collectively found its voice through technology, with millions of people using video daily. Speaking up and out is essential in countering the stigma associated with mental wellness issues - and video engages in a way that the written word simply cannot.

"The stories of hope and support showcased within the Champions Cinema will encourage others to feel less stigmatised by their own issues and will feel empowered to take personal ownership of them.

"It’s so commendable that Sussex Cricket is using its influence and reach in such a positive way to support its community.”

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