Nexus leads the way in supporting entrepreneurs’ mental health

Nexus team members with Ellie MacDonald holding certificates for mental health training

Nexus, at The University of Leeds, has invested in mental health training to support its staff and hundreds of members.

Nexus, a five-year-old innovation hub which has helped entrepreneurs gain access to research and facilities across the university since 2019, has extended its support to the community with mental health support.

Teaming up with the local community interest company, HelloHope, 14 employees of Nexus are now trained in Mental Health First Aid.

HelloHope was formed in May 2024 by Ellie MacDonald, inspired by the loss of her dad to suicide when she was four years old. The young firm is a Community Interest Company on a mission to bring lifesaving preventative training to the masses.

Gareth Scargill, Nexus Director comments:

“My team and I attended HelloHope’s Mental Health First Aid 2-day training course and found it extremely valuable.

With the support of HelloHope, we’re not only equipped to support anyone going through mental health crises, we’ve been able to implement positive mental health and wellbeing support across the organisation and ensure that all team and community members feel supported.”

Founder and CEO of HelloHope, Ellie MacDonald, adds:

“Delivering training to the Nexus team was a key highlight of our first year. The attendees were so engaged and it’s refreshing to see them doing so much more than just ticking a box to say they now have Mental Health First Aiders on site.

With poor mental health costing UK employers over £5 billion each year in productivity losses, our training and support is not just an ethical investment, it makes business sense.

I’m so grateful that Nexus was one of the first local businesses to take up our training and the positive feedback received sets us up well to support further organisations.”

Nexus has continued to support HelloHope and is the event partner for HelloHope’s flagship event of the year on 18 July.

Members of the Leeds business community are invited to the event, which will see HelloHope celebrate its first year in business and launch a world-first suicide prevention platform.

And Nexus plans to continue to support its staff and members further, including running a Wellness Day on 19 May for its members to take some time away from their desks for a moment of wellness and relaxation. Activities include massage, yoga at the Edge and physiotherapy tasters.