Leisure centre staff are showing they are committed to supporting young people's mental health.

Bridport Leisure Centre employees have recently taken part in a course to become mental health first aiders.

An instructor from Mental Health First Aid England, trained a cross section of staff from the centre in how to spot the signs of mental health issues and how to offer initial help, guiding a person towards support.

The course is designed to equip staff with the means to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis and to potentially reach out to someone before a crisis occurs.

Sally Bragg, Bridport Leisure Centre HR Manager, said: “We are always looking at ways to enhance our service to the community. This course has not only given staff the ability to potentially assist their colleagues, but it has also given them the confidence to assist any members of the public that may need help or support."

Course Tutor Merry Sanders said: “It was such a pleasure to work with Bridport Leisure Centre’s dedicated staff and enable them to become Youth Mental Health First Aiders. They have shown a real commitment to supporting young people’s mental health as well as addressing the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health issues.”

This course is just one of the opportunities open to centre staff, to advance their training and development.

Sally added: “Having seen the benefits of the course, we are now looking at rolling it out to more of our staff in public facing roles. We are committed to helping those with mental health issues that use our services and those in the wider community."