Tucked in between the blustery headlines and the rain-heavy news reports that Storm Eunice created, there has been some non-weather related news coverage for St Andrew’s.

February kicked off with a St Andrew’s column in the Chronicle and Echo written by Pride Network member Zoe Smith. She wanted to mark the 50th anniversary of the very first Pride March in the UK and to round off the month, another network member Casey Fox also had her column about heteronormativity in the workplace published in the same newspaper. Ensuring the Pride Network got maximum coverage during LGBT+ History Month. 

Just seven days into February, saw the charity celebrate Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which was the perfect opportunity to promote the College’s LightBulb programme.

To mark the campaign, two sixth form students from Northampton School for Girls shared their mental health experiences and how the St Andrew’s programme had previously helped them.

Their story was picked up on the Chronicle and Echo website and in the print edition, Business in the News, UK News Latest, South East Online, the Healthcare Newsdesk and Wellbeing News.

Just days after that story was covered, St Andrew’s released another press release announcing that local Northampton company Billing Finance had generously donated £5,000 to the LightBulb programme. This means that Cheryl Smith and her team can continue delivering it into schools.

The Chronicle and Echo covered the story both online and in the newspaper, as did Credit Strategy magazine and Rosette Publishing.

Cheryl also gave an interview to online publication Tutorful about how to improve learning through digital technology. The story got picked up in quite a few other publications, including the Chiswick Herald, the Hounslow Herald, the FE News, the Independent School Parent, Educate Magazine, Essex TV and FE News.

An interview with lead occupational therapist Sarah Hayes received a double page spread in the prestigious NR Times. She spoke about her experience of working with older people who have dementia and the privilege she feels in being able to support them.

Integrative Psychotherapist Liz Ritchie, who is also our resident media contributor, has been extremely busy throughout February commenting on a whole range of mental health related subjects. For the eager eyed newspaper reader you will have seen her name pop up in many different publications.

On February 1, trade magazine The Big Hospitality and the MCA published an article on how the pandemic has significantly impacted the mental health of those working in the hospitality sector. Liz gave her opinion on how business leaders must take care of their own mental health as well as taking care of their staff, too.

Later on in the month, Liz also commented on a piece about manifestation which made it into London Loves Business, Business Leader and HR News. 

Rounding off the month traditionally associated with love, was an article in The Nursing Times which quite neatly refers back to a member of staff who was showing a bit of appreciation for his colleagues on Mental Health Nurse Day.

Various nurses across the charity were asked to talk about their role and why they do what they do to mark the awareness day, which annually take place on February 21.

Check out what they all said on the St Andrew’s Twitter feed or read what Senior Staff Nurse John Barry Waldron had to say which made it into the nursing magazine.