Time to Talk Day 2022

Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation and took place earlier this month! For the day, here at Hartlepool College we connected and engaged with staff and students (and their pets) with a range of activities to promote Mental Health Awareness and well-being, and it was a brilliant coming together to talk, listen and change lives.

The day has empowered students and staff to be engaged and participate in mindfulness, colouring, mental health quizzes, have tattoos, and also engaging with our external mental health and wellbeing agencies, and plenty of activities and opportunities to have open conversations with others. 

Debbie Hill - Head of WARMS said "This was my first ever event I had planned and got to say I was extremely nervous as to how it would go and whether staff and students would engage in the activities I had planned with the help of my amazing team.  We thought it would be a great idea to have one or two dogs visiting us throughout the day, however one or two turned into many more requests and all I could visualise is hundreds of dogs running around the building. I was thrilled to bits with how the day went, I can only describe the atmosphere as a ‘real buzz’ that lasted all day and was exactly what the College staff and students needed after the doom and gloom of Covid. I would like to thank everyone for their exceptional support and for making the event a gratifying and rewarding day."

The College has many anxious students who find it a real struggle, even to enter the building and to attend classes without support.  However today it was the best feeling ever seeing those students faces beaming when they walked through the entrance, to be greeted by our pet animal visitors, dogs a hamster, and even a bearded dragon lizard – this was a powerful addition to help students transition from feeling anxious to feeling positive and comfortable in the College environment.

Brian Barnes our Digital Marketing Co-ordinator said 'What a fantastic day, was such a pleasure to bring my best mate; Toby, my 8yr old Jack Russell Terrier into College and see the Students reactions, I know how much he has helped me with my own anxiety and mental well being, so it was so rewarding to see the students smile and engage with pet owners and indeed pets, we should bring them in every week."

Students usually love to leave College for the day at the end of their lessons, although today it was fantastic to see them all staying behind participating in all activities on offer.

The event has been a huge success and we have learned a lot from it. Watch this space for bringing your #PetToWorkDay.

The feedback we have had from staff and students has been phenomenal, students have expressed how the day has made them feel amazing and thoroughly enjoyed socialising and talking to people who they thought they would never speak to.

All in all, the day has been a blast!