The Green Party of England and Wales, as a major membership organisation, has signed up to the Time to Change organisational pledge. The Party Leader, Natalie Bennett signed the pledge on behalf of the party at the Spring Conference at East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham. In signing, the party is committing to promote a better understanding of mental health problems while offering support and welfare advice to their staff and members.

Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said: “It is fantastic that more and more organisations are showing their support in tackling the stigma experienced by people with mental health problems. Employees and their members can all play a part in helping to stamp out stigma and organizations like The Green Party are taking a lead.
“With one in four people experiencing mental illness it's time for businesses to work on their approach and start creating more mentally healthy working environments."

Natalie Bennett, Green Party Leader said: “Many people experience mental health difficulties at some point in their lives, with numbers increasing due to widening inequality and economic uncertainty in recent years. Despite this, mental health is something that we are not very good at talking about as a society. The Green Party is signing the Time to Change pledge to help create a positive shift in public attitudes towards mental health issues, to promote wellbeing, and to eradicate discrimination and stigma. Through working with Time to Change we hope to be an example of best practice as an organisation that supports its staff and members’ mental health.”

Ends/

For more information please contact Hayley Richardson-Roberts, Time to Change Senior Media Officer, on 0208 2152 358/ 07789 721 966