AN EVENT aimed at boosting the mental health of railway workers has been so successful it is to become an annual event.
More than 13,000 railway workers took part in last week’s Rail Wellbeing Live event, which featured speeches, question and answer sessions, panel discussions and workshops.
It was the largest-ever event in the rail industry and to help staff, the event will be online until Friday, November 20.
Out of more than 140 sessions the most attended was comedian and metal advocate Ruby Wax’s, with 2,503 people tuned in to hear how to ‘unfrazzle’ your brain. Second most attended was BBC Breakfast’s Dr Rangan Chatterjee’s talk, with 2,027 finding out his ‘five steps to feeling better’.
Other highlights included retiring RMT General Secretary Mick Cash giving a deeply personal interview about his mental health.
John Halsall, chair of the Rail Wellbeing Alliance and managing director of Network Rail’s Southern region, said: “I’m delighted the first-ever Rail Wellbeing Live has been such a huge success.
“This is about much more than the event, it’s about us as an industry saying our personal physical and mental wellbeing is important, we value it and we must protect it.
“Putting wellbeing at thetop of the agenda is good for all of us, not least the passengers and freight users we serve, because a happier, healthier workforce is a more efficient, successful workforce.”
All the content is available to view at www.railwellbeinglive.co.uk