In another of our award winner blogs, we chat to Rebecca Meagher from Blue Education and Training to find out about the award the business won last year and how the success has affected the organisation and its people since.

 

 

Tell us about Blue Education and Training

 

Blue Education and Training is a business based at the heart of North Tyneside on Howard Street in North Shields.

 

Blue was established, post-pandemic, by a team of specialist mental health Clinicians with the aim of changing the narrative around mental health and offering evidence-based early intervention and preventative strategies to educational settings.

 

Our basic philosophy is based upon the principle that 1 in 6 children and young people now have a diagnosable mental health condition and on average it is taking 10 years between spotting symptoms and receiving help. Our focus aims to highlight the importance of a ‘whole school and community’ approach to improve awareness and inclusion, as well as providing expert solutions to improve long-term outcomes for our young people.

 

What award did you win in 2022 and how has it affected your business?

 

We were absolutely thrilled to accept both the New Business and overall Business of the Year Award. We were totally overwhelmed, proud and humble; it was a huge mix of emotion at the awards ceremony itself!

 

We were up against some phenomenal local businesses making significant changes to our community and we genuinely didn’t expect to win. Not only did it feel amazing to win, but it also felt even better to have a platform to shout about mental health prevention from the rooftops; to spread awareness to reduce the stigma that still attaches itself to the subject.

 

Since we won the award, it has opened so many doors to new connections and means of support for the business and our team. Winning increased awareness of our services and our mission, and it has led to some significant partnerships with like-minded providers, which is brilliant. One of those partnerships has led to us working with the NHS, rolling out mental health training in schools across the UK.

 

Would you recommend other businesses to apply for an award this year?

 

Yes, we would recommend that other businesses apply for the 2023 awards. If you’re undecided about applying, just do it! Whether you win or not, the connections and support you’ll receive because of applying is totally worth it. We have developed some brilliant relationships with other local businesses as a direct result of applying for the awards and that in itself is worth the application process. We all have support for each other, we network together, provide and receive advice and bounce business ideas around too.

 

We are genuinely still basking in the award wins a year on!

 

To find out more about Blue Education and Training, visit https://bmhet.co.uk/