We’re celebrating GroceryAid Day and championing our ongoing partnership with the charity.

GroceryAid Day is the annual awareness day when the industry comes together to raise awareness of the charity, which recorded a 61% increase in incidences of support last year and a 17% increase in calls to its helpline.

Here at Castell Howell, the promotion of internal welfare services to our staff is key to our operation and we actively provide an environment where staff have the confidence and trust to speak openly when in need of advice.

Alongside this, our over 50’s health checks have proven so popular and useful for staff that we’ve rolled out the program to our colleagues aged 45 years and over. As part of the health check package, staff are asked about their physical activity, smoking & alcohol intake, mental health and anxiety. As well as this, height, weight and BMI are checked, along with waist circumference, cholesterol and blood pressure. Advice and guidance is then offered to implement long term positive changes and this runs simultaneously with the formation of our team of Mental Health First Aiders.

Our Health & Wellbeing Coordinator Carly Price said ‘’Helping and supporting others has always been extremely important to me and is indeed true of the Castell Howell ethos. Through working with GroceryAid and seeing the lasting effect their services provide, we have implemented several support strategies within the business such as Health Checks and Mental Health First Aiders. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are still apparent, this along with the cost-of-living crisis has increased the need for support, whether it be mental health related, financially oriented or family connected and we strive to do all that we can to help our colleagues’’

Gayle Budden, Head of HR said ”The inception of our Mental Health First Aiders has been critical, with 6 operating across the company. Through their training, the team has gained improved knowledge of mental illnesses and their interventions, knowledge of appropriate first aid strategies, and confidence in helping individuals experiencing a mental health problem. Help and advice is now more accessible than ever before and with our open door policy, we will continue to look at further systems and strategies to support our growing workforce”

Our MHFA Wales accredited team members are:

Carly Price (pictured)
Andy Beare (pictured)
Zach Lowther (pictured)
James Lang
Jonny Harries
Simon Ellsmore

What is GroceryAid?

GroceryAid supports industry colleagues 24/7, providing emotional, practical and financial support to everyone who needs it. Any colleagues working in the grocery industry can access emotional and practical support, plus financial advice, from the first day of their employment. After six months of continuous employment, colleagues may be eligible for a non-repayable financial grants. To access these services, colleagues can call the FREE Grocery Aid confidential Helpline, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and can provide immediate support. More than 200 languages are also supported through the Helpline, on request.

groceryaid.co.uk
08088 021 122