British retailer Marks & Spencer will host a series of Ruby Wax's Frazzled Cafe meetings to support mental health awareness.
The partnership with bestselling author, comedian and mental health activist Ruby Wax, who has written such books as A Mindfulness Guide for the Frazzled, was announced 14 March at the London Book Fair.
'M&S Cafés will host fortnightly ‘talk-in’ sessions where people who are feeling ‘frazzled’ can meet to talk and share their personal stories in a safe, anonymous and non-judgmental environment,' the company said in a statement.
The project was initially trialled in M&S offices and stores last year, as part of its Plan A eco and ethical initiative.
Billed as 'a place where it's ok, to not be ok', the meetings do not constitute therapy, the retailer said.
'Frazzled Cafe meetings are designed not just for the one-in-four Britons who will suffer a mental illness at some point, but for the four-in-four who are feeling frazzled and overwhelmed by the stresses of modern life,' it added.
The company cited figures from the Mental Health Task Force of the NHS, which peg the economic cost of mental illness at roughly £105 billion per year. The retailer said there was a 'pressing need' for helping people deal with overwhelming stress and reducing the stigma surrounding talking about mental health.
A Life "Crammed To The Hilt"
Eleven M&S Cafés will host the meetings, led by trained volunteer facilitators, over the next few months in locations such as London, Cambridge, Nottingham, and Leeds. More locations will be added during the year.
At the launch, Wax said, "We live in a time where [having] a life crammed to the hilt is considered a success story. But with all this pressure, so many of us have nowhere to go to meet and talk about it.
"Frazzled Cafe is about people coming together to share their stories, calmly sitting together, stating their case and feeling validated as a result. Feeling heard, to me, has always been half the cure."
Frazzled Cafe is a not-for-profit organisation which will shortly become a registered charity, created by Ruby Wax and operated by Elizabeth Morrison and Anna D’Onofrio.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
