RBH Hospitality Management has partnered with Mental Health UK to raise significant funds and awareness of the importance of mental health in hospitality and beyond.

The UK-wide charity provides support and services for some of the biggest societal challenges that pose a threat to people’s mental health, including money problems, loneliness and isolation. In addition, Mental Health UK helps to promote awareness and understanding of mental health conditions, and how to access the right support.

This partnership will become a core part of RBH’s Giving Something Back promise which pledges to support its community, as well as its established Tree of Life Health & Wellbeing programme to promote and encourage staff wellbeing.

The first in a string of awareness campaigns is Time To Talk Day (3 February) in which each member of the RBH team and its portfolio of 45+ hotels have been encouraged to download Mental Health UK’s Conversation Guide – a challenge in which they should aim to have one conversation with someone about how they’re feeling. Employees are also being urged to watch Mental Health UK’s webinar on How to talk to your manager about your mental health for the first time. Finally, the teams have been invited to join Clic, Mental Health UK’s online community platform which offers peer support, access to forums and information.

The first major fundraising effort being undertaken by RBH will take place at the company’s annual conference and awards ceremony in March, with raffle prizes currently being collected. This will kick off a two-year campaign to raise money for Mental Health UK following RBH’s running total of £340k of donations to four different charities since 2013. In addition to the management company’s central fundraising schemes, each of the portfolio’s hotels are encouraged to run their own independent events and staff initiatives to support the cause.

With just £60 funding someone to be part of a peer support group for an entire year, RBH is seeking to directly help hundreds of lives in the following year, as well as indirectly influencing thousands more through its awareness efforts.

On the decision to launch this partnership, HR Director, Martin MacPhail said:

"Every few years, we seek to support a worthy charity that aligns particularly closely to our own company values. It is our people who choose our new charity via a vote, so the fact that they have opted for a mental health charity illustrates how important it is to us. We’ve already put a lot of work into campaigning the importance of the wellbeing of our workforce and the whole hospitality industry, so the work of Mental Health UK is a great fit. We’re delighted to be undertaking efforts that simultaneously positively impact our own employees with increased support and tools, as well as hopefully raising a significant amount of money to aid the charity’s resources."

Katie Legg, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Mental Health UK said:

"We are delighted that RBH Management colleagues have chosen to support Mental Health UK at a time when our services are needed more than ever. Over the last two years not only have we experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, but also a crisis of poor mental health. The effects of this pandemic on the nation’s mental health will be felt for years to come, and we need partnerships like this one to enable us to be there for the people who rely on our support."

"At Mental Health UK, we won’t stop until everyone has the tools they need to live their best possible life, and we cannot do it alone. Thank you to everyone at RBH Management for your support, and we can’t wait to get started!"