Paul Ogden, The Westgrove Group’s first site based Mental Health First-Aider, has won a prestigious industry award.
Paul, who is a mental health champion at Market Place Shopping Centre in Bolton, has won a Revo ACE Award.
The awards programme showcases people and places that achieve excellence customer service.
Paul was presented with his award at an event at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole last night.
Also shortlisted for an award was Handforth Dean Retail Park and St Johns Shopping Centre in Liverpool, both of which Westgrove provides services for.
Westgrove has been working with one of its key partners, Market Place, to champion awareness of mental health.
As part of the service to shoppers the centre was keen to ensure that they identified a mental health first aider, something which is being called for by many companies in the UK to be mandatory as part of the ‘Time to Change’ campaign
Following a very successful mental health awareness week in 2018, Changing Minds, the centre and Westgrove worked together to train over 80 staff in mental health awareness.
Following the training, Paul Ogden, one of the centre’s Guest Service Ambassadors, took on the role as mental health champion.
Paul is now available to offer support and advice to vulnerable customers visiting the centre as well as to the centre’s tenants.
As part of his training, Paul completed a mental health first aid course through St John Ambulance, the nation’s leading first aid charity, and a NCFE CACHE Level 2 certificate qualification in Mental Health Awareness.
Claire McKinley Smith, Managing Director of The Westgrove Group, said: “As a company, we take mental health extremely seriously so we are delighted that Paul has been recognised for all of his hard work to champion mental health in the workplace. We are so proud of him.
“Since starting in the new role, Paul has rolled out his training to the Westgrove team onsite and to the tenants within the centre.
“He has already identified a number of vulnerable customers and offered them advice and support. We will be looking to appoint mental health first aiders at many more centres across our UK portfolio during 2019.”
