Belgravia Foundation understands that nationally mental illness is the most common reason people visit a GP and has been for approaching 3 years. This epidemic of mental illness has become so pervasive that most people in Australia have had a family member or acquaintance afflicted by this ailment. This includes people who work, volunteer and participate in the sport and physical activity sectors. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted the Arts and Recreation sector (i.e. sport, leisure, fitness, aquatics) dramatically impacted through closures, job losses, salary reductions, concerns about the future, isolation and reduced contact and support with others, and people connected with these sectors now experiencing substantial mental illness.  

In the lead up to Mental Health Awareness Month 2020, Belgravia Foundation widely promoted a UK based Mental Health Awareness training to the leisure, sport and fitness sectors, whilst also providing training evaluation templates to enable organisations to gather information about the impact and response of staff and volunteers to training. This training opportunity was freely available online, easily accessibility to all and aims to give participants improved confidence and competency to understand mental health, learn about the role of exercise in supporting mental health, and to become more aware of strategies to support mental health self-care and care of others.  

Belgravia Foundation proudly collaborated with Belgravia Leisure to utilise the opportunity to access free online training for their employees and collect information through pre and post training questionnaires to evaluate the impact. Some of the remarkable results are highlighted below: 

• Employees had a 22.5% increase in their confidence to adapt program sessions for people with a mental health condition 

• Employees had a 20.3% increase in their awareness of barriers to physical activity faced by people with a mental health condition 

• Employees had a 13.1% increase in their ability to recognise their own and others mental health behaviours 

• Employees had a 20.6% increase in their confidence to talk to someone with a mental health concern 

• Employees had a 23.2% increase in their knowledge of local support networks and organisations 

978 Belgravia Leisure staff completed the training, and the evidence demonstrates the significant impact this had on staff's knowledge, understanding and confidence relating to mental health. “This was a great course. It’s always important to discuss and talk about ways to support others. It was also great to understand the importance of how we go about delivering our programs and services,” said an employee after completing the training.  

Belgravia Foundation will continue to support the leisure sector with resources and tools to advocate for the importance of mental health. 

If you or someone you know needs mental health support or emotional assistance during these times, please contact either of the below organisations. 

• Lifeline - 13 11 14 (AUS) 

• Beyond Blue - 1300 224 636 (AUS) 

• Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (NZ) 

• Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 (NZ)