An independent pub company is playing a key part in developing an industry-first mental health first aid qualification for pub operators and their teams.
Punch Pubs & Co, based in Burton upon Trent, has teamed up with craft beer brewing brand People’s Captain to help create the in-pub qualification alongside publicans and management partners (MPs).
The firms are working with Mental Health First Aid England on the project.
The initiative fits in with Punch’s Doing Well, By Doing Good initiative which aims to improve lives and communities with pubs at their heart.
People’s Captain Greg Bateman, a former rugby union professional, said: “Some of our most meaningful conversations happen over a pint, and with Punch’s commitment to ensure pubs remain at the very heart of the community, our joint values perfectly align with the impact that People’s Captain is making.
“More than that, the vision is that the amazing people behind bars around the country can be frontline support for the villages, towns and cities they serve, but we need to give them the skills to look after themselves and their teams in the first instance.
“This has been a project in the making for some-time and it speaks volumes of Punch’s commitment to help us develop this qualification for the industry, by being a pioneer in this space. They are showing their commitment to looking after their people but just as, if not more importantly, current data is showing there’s over a 4x return on investment in health and wellbeing, so they really are Doing Well, By Doing Good.”
Jon Dale, Punch’s Strategic Corporate Affairs and Environmental, Social and Governance Lead, said: “Doing Well, By Doing Good sits at the core of our business ethos, and every day our publicans, MPs and their teams ‘do good’ in countless ways.
“We’ve been working alongside Greg and his fantastic team at People’s Captain for two years now and piloting the in-pub Mental Health First Aid qualification is a huge step forward.”
