A Hitchin bus operator's Wellbeing on Wheels (WoW) Bus has toured its depots, sharing information and advice on the importance of family and mental health across the region.

On board the WoW Bus, representatives from charities such as Mind, NSPCC, Andy's Man Club, the Samaritans and the National Autistic Society were able to give tips and advice to Stagecoach East's colleagues.

The WoW Bus is continuing on its mission to spread important Wellbeing messages over the coming weeks and months. Its quarterly programme of Health and Wellbeing advice is aimed at colleagues and will run alongside a major plan of public engagement.

Darren Roe, Managing Director of Stagecoach East, said: "It has been great to see the WoW Bus receiving such a warm response everywhere it goes. We all know that Mental Health and Family issues are increasingly important in our modern world, so we all need to take on as much help and advice as we can."

Brenda Bond, Branch Director, the Samaritans, added: "I spent the day on the WoW Bus with the Wellbeing Champions and other organisations. Staff were a little reticent at first but the Champions did a great job of getting them to visit the bus or to invite us into their rest rooms - one of which was another bus!

"The 'minibus' - a mobility scooter with full Stagecoach surround - was a big draw and great fun. I was impressed with the level of encouragement to staff to seek help via Stagecoach or through other organisations. The WoW Bus is an amazing resource, where I was able to talk about what we do at Samaritans and encourage people to talk to us. I hope Cambridge Samaritans will be invited again some day."

Meanwhile, Robert Labe, Bedford Samaritans Partnership Lead said: "Our volunteers engaged with several Stagecoach staff, talking about emotional health and wellbeing, and the support available from Samaritans for anyone in a crisis or who just need someone to talk to. The partnership working with other voluntary services was fantastic."

Stuart Fawcett, Area Lead London and South East at Andy's Man Club, said: "It was a great pleasure being on the Wellbeing Bus - great conversations were had and that all important awareness, spreading the word that 'it's okay to talk'. To all the teams and volunteers bringing it all together in one place and collaborating to show there is support and a network out there, I look forward to working alongside you in the future!"

Ellen Smith, NSPCC Local Campaigns Manager for the East of England, said: "It was such a pleasure to be invited onto the Wellbeing on Wheels bus to help spread the NSPCC's vital child protection messages. Thank you to Stagecoach East for making this happen."

Gretchen Larkin, Fundraising & Engagement Manager at Mind BLMK, agreed: "We were delighted to recently collaborate with Stagecoach East as part of their Wellbeing on Wheels initiative. Some really important discussions were had with staff around their mental health and the resources available to them locally. We are looking forward to being involved in future projects and of course, it's always great catching up with our voluntary sector colleagues. Thank you Stagecoach East for making us feel so welcome."

If you have been effected by any of the issues discussed in this article, support is available at:

·        Andy's Man Club – www.andysmanclub.co.uk

·        Mind BLMK – www.mind-blmk.org.uk

·        National Autistic Society – www.autism.org.uk

·        NSPCC – www.nspcc.org.uk

·        Samaritans – www.samaritans.org