Mental Health Awareness Week Receives Support from Racing Welfare

Mental Health Awareness Week: Monday 15 – Sunday 21 May 2023

The racing industry is being encouraged to take action for mental health this week, as Mental Health Awareness Week launches nationwide today. The campaign is run by the Mental Health Foundation, and the theme for this year is ‘Anxiety’.

Racing’s human welfare charity, Racing Welfare, will be leading racing’s response to this important awareness campaign, aiming to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of anxiety, normalising conversations and signposting to support services. The charity is calling for people working in the racing industry to take action for their own mental health or for the mental health of others in the racing community. 

During the week Racing Welfare will be showcasing a new film that depicts anxiety building up for a racehorse trainer. The film has been created in conjunction with Equine Productions and shows typical day-to-day scenarios that can lead to poor mental health. In addition to the film, Racing Welfare will be sharing information about the signs and symptoms of anxiety and will be signposting to support services throughout the week. Green ribbons will also be visible across racecourses this week as the industry shows its support for the campaign.

Watch the film here (below)

The racing community will be encouraged to join the conversation about mental health across social media this week using the hashtags #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek and #ToHelpMyAnxiety. For those wanting to go one step further, Racing Welfare offers heavily subsidised mental health training, including accredited Mental Health First Aid England courses for anyone working in the industry who’d like to gain formal mental health training.

Racing Welfare’s Director of Welfare, Simone Sear, said: 

Mental Health Awareness Week is a campaign we’ve supported for a number of years at Racing Welfare now. We know the pressures of day-to-day life can take their toll, and indeed racing brings its own unique challenges for people working in the sport. Our mental health services remain at the heart of Racing Welfare, working holistically with our practical support services to support racing’s people. We hope to see the industry get behind this important awareness campaign this week, and look forward to making strides in normalising conversations about mental health going forwards.”

Follow Racing Welfare on social media for updates on Mental Health Awareness Week.

About Racing Welfare

Racing Welfare is the only charity that supports all of racing’s people – including stud, stable and racecourse staff, alongside those working in associated professions – from their recruitment right through to retirement. The charity provides a wide range of advice and guidance services, all of which are completely confidential and non-judgmental.  Support is available for a wide range of life’s challenges, including physical health, mental health, bereavement, careers advice, housing, money advice, illness, addiction, relationships, and retirement. Racing Welfare’s services are nationally accessible with offices in all the main racing centres and roving Welfare Officers covering the whole of the country.  

The charity owns 164 units of accommodation across the UK, with a focus on providing housing for young people working in racing and those who have retired from the industry which are managed by its housing arm, Racing Homes. 

Support is available to racing’s people 24/7 through Racing’s Support Line or the Racing Welfare app. Both provide access to information, advice and guidance services, as well as access to the 24hr telephone line.