Photo of Gloucester Community at the GL3 Community Hub

Gloucester Community Networking

Better Together

Gloucester Pride

Central Gloucester - 11/09/21

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GCN set up our first 'Mental Health First Aid Stand' with a safe and 'in-confidence' mindfulness space for anyone finding themselves in an emotional state to come along and chill out.

First Aid 4 Mental Health (FA4MH) Stand - Pride in Gloucester - 11/09/21

The Pride in Gloucester » event this year saw a large crowd come down to Gloucester Park to enjoy live music, a small funfair and lots of independent stalls, which were open to all the family.

The event was to celebrate Gloucester's LGBT+ » community and all its diversity.

GCN positioned their First Aid 4 Mental Health (FA4MH) stand close to St. John's Ambulance » and we had a number of great talks with people of all ages, especially young people (14-18 yrs) who remarked that they still receive homophobic comments (directly or indirectly) in schools, colleges and in the work place. In 21st Century UK you would have thought that this type of bullying would have all but been relegated to a distant past that was both intolerant and ignorant of people who are not like 'them', but unfortunately, intolerance, ignorance and hatered still linger in our society among a few groups.

Homophobia and any bullying because of someone's sexual orientation (or for any other reason, such as your religious belief or the colour of your skin), whether directly or indirectly, can seriously impact someone's mental health, wellbeing and their resiliance to cope with the stresses of everyday life.

The isolation some have felt due to the Covid-19 Pandemic has amplified the anxieties some people have felt due to the negative, demoralising and degrading comments made by family, colleagues and the Press regarding a person's sexual orientation.

We also did a lot of 'networking' with NHS workers regarding Veterans who may need the mental health support offered by the Veterans’ Charity Combat Stress »

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