A motion that the council recognises the stigma of mental health and the role that sports clubs can help in improving lives has been passed.
The call was made at Thursday’s full council meeting which was passed by elected members.
The SNP’s Craigneuk councillor Agnes Magowan put forward the motion, seconded by her colleague Lynne Anderson, and cited Dalziel Rugby Club who recently ran a very successful ‘Time to Talk’ evening which involved 160 boys and girls who play rugby, discussing methods of supporting and signposting friends who are anxious or stressed.
She said: “I was delighted that my motion on training personnel in North Lanarkshire Sports Clubs in strategies to deal with mental health issues passed.
“Mental health concerns will no doubt be greater after the social isolation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Dalziel Rugby Club led the way to this motion being formulated by inviting me to their amazing ‘Time to Talk’ event involving dozens of youngsters and coaches in discussing how to deal with and talk about mental health issues.
“I believe that sport and sports clubs can have a powerful effect on alleviating mental health problems and the more people that are trained in the correct techniques the better.
“I am delighted that the council has agreed to reach out to and support sports and leisure clubs across the local authority by offering free training to them over the next two years.
“A paper detailing the plans for this objective, will be brought to the relevant committees to ensure full engagement has taken place across North Lanarkshire.
“This will help North Lanarkshire reach its objectives of wishing to see a Lanarkshire where we all understand there is no health without mental health.”
