Kingston has reached a milestone in mental health awareness and support. The council has now trained over 1,000 residents, who work in frontline jobs, as Mental Health First Aiders.

Completing the Mental Health First Aid (MFHA) England course, the brilliant MHFA trainees range from police officers, teachers and GPs to social workers, housing officers and staff in various voluntary sector organisations.

To celebrate this milestone the council is offering further free courses to local residents, and is particularly looking for groups of people in the workplace, in residents' associations, local clubs and religious communities.

Katy Scammell, Kingston Council's director of public health said: "Creating a mental health aware community has benefits for us all.

" When people are equipped with the skills and confidence to spot the signs of poor mental health, start a conversation, and signpost appropriate support, it creates a ripple effect – reducing stigma and improving lives.

"A huge thank you to everyone who has undertaken Mental Health First Aid training with us and has committed to making a difference. We look forward to many more.'

MHFA is an internationally recognised training course designed to teach people how to identify, understand, and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue on a first-aid basis. The training programme is funded by Kingston Council.

If you or your group are interested in finding out more, you should email [email protected].

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You can also find more information in the MHFA leaflet.

There are details of local services that support residents with mental health on the Connected Kingston website. This includes:

• a list of free and low cost counselling services in Kingston
• Everyday living and managing loneliness
• Dedicated support for children and young people's mental health

You can also find services that:

support people with dementia and for people who are neurodivergent.