Below are actual feedback comments made by past participants in past workshops.

Typical ones we get:

  • Opened up a real debate and promoted understanding
  • Good to talk and felt comfortable sharing thoughts and feelings
  • Excellent delivery and good interaction
  • Everyone had the chance to share their experiences
  • Interactive with very knowledgeable trainer
  • The course has opened my mind to the fact that we don’t just identify a need for help and pass it on to someone else !
  • Clear information given, also fun elements, extremely informative
  • Very interesting not boring
  • Relevant to my work, liked the trainers style and content of the session
  • A lot of content but chris made it clearer, learnt a lot
  • The course was the most interesting I have ever done, it was very relevant to work/life
  • Chris has a vast knowledge on MH enjoyed a lot
  • I liked the group activities and how the training session was split between listening to instructor, group activities and group discussions
  • Very intense but well presented,
  • It was very thought provoking
  • I enjoyed the whole session, very interesting
  • Very interesting, Chris gave very beneficial infor and made it easy to understand
  • The group work went well, detailed information, facts and %

Chris Graham, working for Carlisle Eden Mind, has been supporting us develop the Sellafield Ltd. Mental Health Champion (MHC) network for the last two years. He has delivered more than 16 two-day Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) workshops, which has upskilled our Occupational Health teams, members of the HR and Training teams, and a number of our trade union representatives, in addition to training over 180 Mental Health Champions at the various Sellafield sites in West Cumbria and Warrington.

The role of the MHCs is to identify and respond to any member of the workforce (both Sellafield Ltd. and supply chain) who may be experiencing poor mental health that need professional or self-help support.

Chris has been providing ongoing support, advice, guidance and mentoring to any MHC who wants to further improve their skills as a Mental Health First Aider. In addition, he has been delivering the MHFA 4-hour Refresher training to all current MHCs in order to refresh their knowledge and understanding one year on from their initial training. He has also developed bespoke workshops and consulted on specific aspects of MH training.

We have found his expertise, pragmatic style and experience invaluable and are now working with Chris to develop and create a bespoke mental health workshop for our Line Managers (over 2,000 people).  COVID-19 has meant we need to re-look at how we are doing this but we remain determined to deliver a great package of training.

At the start of lockdown (April 2020), Chris approached us asking if we would be interested in piloting a series of online mental health awareness workshops using the Zoom Platform. We were very eager to see if this would work, so we had Terri Hargreaves, the MHC Coordinator, start working with Chris to develop and deliver a series of mental health awareness workshops.

To date, there have been eight workshop topics developed and delivered by Chris, to not only the MHCs but also other members of our workforce, including HR personnel and line managers. He has been delivering three 2-hour workshops every week since 9th April. The topics are changed and rotated each week. The interest in these workshops has meant that we are now repeating previous topics alongside delivering new content.

Chris has a wealth of experience as a mental health practitioner, and an engaging and atypical approach to training which leaves a positive impact on all our employees who have attended any of his training sessions.

We would recommend you contact Flashinglightbulb and speak to Chris to hear how he can help your company.

As the Executive Sponsor for Mental Health at Sellafield Ltd I am heartened by the progress we have made and continue to make in the area of mental health and wellbeing and Chris has been an integral and very important part of our journey.

Euan Hutton, Chief Nuclear Officer
Sellafield Ltd. Cumbria

Chris Graham designed and delivered a bespoke Mental Health Awareness for our Business Managers in November 2020. It was a one-day workshop online via zoom. The materials were adapted to our business operation. Rookery Foods operate 15 McDonald’s restaurants in the Warrington, Bolton, Cheshire Oaks and Widnes area. He also made the training materials applicable to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.  We learnt how to spot the signs of poor mental health in our staff and how to provide immediate support as a business manager. The managers attending the session said it will help to improve their confidence in the future when dealing with people in their restaurant. The materials sent from Chris will also be a really good reference for our future needs.

John Smith – Operations Manager
Rookery Foods Ltd T/A McDonald’s (Warrington, Bolton, Cheshire Oaks & Widnes)