This week is Mental Health awareness week, hosted by the Mental Health Foundation. To draw attention to the importance of mental health awareness we joined several landmark London buildings and lit Troxy’s iconic exterior in green!
Why is this issue so important to us?
It’s estimated that in the past week 1 in 6 of us will have experienced a common mental health problem. We want to make it clear that to our customers, staff and artists that you aren’t alone and it’s OK to talk about mental health problems. It’s particularly close to home for us because mental health problems are so prevalent in the music industry.
Help Musicians UK commissioned a study in 2016 with the University of Westminster and MusicTank into mental health and the music industry. 71.7% of the respondents said they had experienced panic attacks and/or high levels of anxiety, while 68.5% reported they had experienced depression.
You’re probably well aware that at Troxy we love live music. That’s one of the many reasons we wanted to turn green to show our support for Mental Health awareness week! Whether you’re a front man, a bassist, a bar supervisor, a lawyer or a student, everyone deserves great mental health and support when they need it.
Music Support has a 24/7 helpline for anyone in the music industry who might be struggling with their mental health. All their phone volunteers have personal experience of the music industry and the issues that Music Support covers. They have been through rigorous training designed and facilitated for Music Support by professionals trainers in this field, in consultation with The Helplines Partnership. Call 0800 030 6789.
If you work in music and you’re struggling in any way you can also contact Music Minds Matter. They have trained support staff available day or night. It’s free and confidential and available across the UK. Their team offer emotional support, advice and information, signposting to other specialist services, debt and legal advice as well as access to Help Musicians UK grants. They also offer free counselling and CBT either in person, over the phone or online from qualified counsellors. You can call 0808 802 8008 or email MMM@helpmusicians.org.uk.
