Phase two of the Council’s We’re Here campaign, which ran in January and February this year, saw over 30,000 interactions with the Sefton in Mind Directory in the weeks following the start of the campaign.
Sefton in Mind (www.seftoninmind.org.uk), hosted by Sefton CVS, is a directory of services designed to link people in Sefton to local and national organisations that can provide wellbeing support and advice.
Services include peer support groups, counselling and bereavement support, as well as help with finances, debt, or drug and alcohol use.
The key message of We’re Here is that help is available. We’re Here encourages people with concerns about their mental health and wellbeing to visit the Sefton in Mind Directory and find the support they need. They can do this by Googling ‘seftoninmind’, scanning the QR code on campaign posters and stickers across Sefton businesses, or via a single click.
By signposting residents to local services that are known to make a difference, We’re Here aims to help make a positive impact on people’s lives.
The latest We’re Here campaign focused on digital promotion, with adverts on websites such as the Liverpool Echo, Facebook and Instagram, and Spotify. Adverts were also displayed across the Borough, at bus stops and phone kiosks, supermarkets and on local bus routes.
We’re Here posters, window stickers and beer mats were also distributed to community venues across Sefton, including the Colleges, GP practices, Strand By Me, Sefton at Work, Southport Market, The Atkinson Library and Crosby Lake House.
Cllr Mhairi Doyle, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said:
“It has been estimated that one in four people in England are affected by mental health problems and this week’s Mental Health Awareness Week is about creating communities that care for people living with mental illness.
“Our We’re Here campaign is about highlighting those communities and provide people in Sefton with a visible reminder that local services are available when they need them.
“Campaigns like this can help reduce stigma around mental health and encourage conversations about it, as well as helping people to find the support they need.
“Every one of the thousands of visits to www.seftoninmind.org.uk during the campaign could have helped someone from Sefton find support and ways to deal with how they are feeling.
“Plus, we don’t know how many people will have made a note of Sefton in Mind to contact it when they feel ready.”
Awareness of the campaign has grown in the second phase. In a feedback survey, over a fifth of Sefton in Mind organisations reported that new clients had accessed their services after seeing or hearing about We’re Here or Sefton in Mind.
In addition to recording over 30,000 interactions, over 2,000 subscribers accessed information about the campaign through the Council’s My Sefton e-news service.
People can sign up to receive My Sefton e-news updates from any of the pages in www.sefton.gov.uk/mysefton-news/latest-news
Sefton Council’s Public Health team will be using findings from the We’re Here campaign to look at how to improve future promotions – better enabling Sefton residents to access the health and wellbeing support they need.
Although the official advertising campaign has finished, people can still find help and support at www.seftoninmind.org.uk.
OTS News on Social Media