Mental health event attracts big crowd

FIVE HUNDRED people from across the Manchester Jewish spectrum attended an Action for Mental Health event at the city’s Hilton Suite.

So great was the demand that latecomers were turned away, the crowd having reached capacity for fire regulations. “It was upsetting but we had to put safety first,” event co-ordinator Dr Sandi Mann explained.

The meeting was called to raise awareness of the issue within the community and to educate on the signs and symptoms of mental illness.

Dr Mann was among the speakers, along with Dr Paul Abeles, who discussed how to promote positive mental health. Other contributors covered ways to access help, treatment options and communal responsibilities.

All the speakers were part of a Q&A panel chaired by Jonny Wineberg from Manchester’s Jewish Representative Council. Questions from the audience included whether local Jewish schools were putting too much academic pressure on pupils; how parents could take measures to stop their children selfharming and how to protect young people from family financial stresses.