‘No Man is an Island’ has been developed over the past 18 months, with Visit Guernsey hoping to attract more younger male visitors and developing a mental health campaign which leaves a lasting benefit for men living locally.
Former footballer and broadcaster Chris Kamara, the ambassador for the campaign, was in the island yesterday to launch it. After seeing Guernsey for the first time, he described the island as beautiful, and an ideal backdrop for inspiring mental health wellness.
‘I can’t understand why I’ve not been here before,’ he said. ‘Matt Le Tissier, my colleague at Sky Sports, kept saying what a beautiful place it was.’
Mr Kamara said he had filmed his surroundings at the Bathing Pools to send to his wife. Her response was: ‘We have to go there.’
Visit Guernsey marketing manager Sam Claxton said the tourism body had previously done a lot of work around women’s wellness and wellbeing, but wanted to turn its attention to men.
‘It’s well known that men are bad at speaking about their own mental health, in particular – they’re bad at going to the GP, generally, for physical health,’ he said.
‘So we thought it was time to do something for men.’
The tourism side of No Man is an Island is aimed at encouraging men, and particularly younger men, in the UK to take a break from city life, stress and screens.
‘Sea swimming and walking are really good for the mind, and we’ve got the perfect destination for that,’ said Mr Claxton.
‘It’s close to the UK. We’ve got Herm and Sark, there’s island-hopping, so lots for them to do to get away from it.’
But he said the team did not want the campaign to stop at benefitting visitors alone.
That led to the creation of ‘Here for C.H.R.I.S.’ in partnership with Guernsey Mind, through which participating local businesses and organisations can offer an informal first point of contact for somebody struggling with their mental health.
The organisations involved range from bars, restaurants and hotels to sports clubs and barbers, with the aim of involving people who regularly come into contact with young men.
Those taking part will display campaign material showing that people can enter and say they are ‘Here for C.H.R.I.S.’ – meaning they are looking for a Calm, Helpful, Reassuring and Inviting Space.
About 40 people from some 30 local establishments have gone through mental health awareness training in the past week, with another 50 people expressing an interest but unable to attend.
Visit Guernsey approached Mr Kamara because of his openness about his own mental health struggles following the development of apraxia of speech.
‘We knew we wanted to make a big splash and raise national awareness,’ said Mr Claxton.
‘And Kammy was our firm favourite choice to help us do that, simply because he’s been so open about his own mental health battle, and he’s just so widely loved. We’re really grateful to him for lending his voice, his support and his humour to the campaign. It really gives it some gravitas.’
One measure of the wider campaign’s success will inevitably be visitor numbers.
But Mr Claxton said he is hoping for another outcome, one which matters more.
‘If we make a difference to even just one person – someone out there somewhere on the island, or a visitor that comes over who is struggling – and they reach out to somebody and start that conversation, and they start to get onto the right path and feel better, I think that’s a success,’ he said.
‘It’s a cliche, but I mean it.’
Mr Kamara echoed that sentiment. ‘Visit Guernsey and the people of Guernsey have taken it to the next level,’ he said.
You need to be logged in to comment.