Using World Mental Health Day as a platform, the owners of Applecross Inn in Strathcarron have spoken of concerns in the hospitality industry
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Using World Mental Health Day as a platform, the owners of Applecross Inn has spoken of concerns in the hospitality industry.
Mark Carrington, who is the general manager of the business, said the day allowed him to tell the story of those who are generally ignored.
The Applecross Inn is a popular hotel on the North Coast 500 route, and regularly post updates to customers.
Mr Carrington said: "Instead of a generic post, we feel it’s important to take a different angle.
"Something that’s not spoken of enough (or often ignored) is the widespread mental health problem in hospitality.
"It will continue to be a problem unless it’s recognised properly."
He continued: "And working in a remote area like here in Applecross, or many other areas of the Highlands where some of our team can be hundreds of miles from their family and friends for long periods of time, the impact can be felt much deeper.
"So what can we do to solve or ease this problem?
"We all say we’re here if somebody needs to talk, but not everybody wants to talk. In fact, after a long day working out front in a restaurant or hotel giving your best customer service and chatting to guests… sometimes the last thing you want to do is talk."
He said: "We may be smiling while we’re working, we may even be enjoying ourselves, we may be the last person you’d expect to be suffering… but any one of us might need help and nobody would ever know.
"It IS good to talk. It is good to vent, to open up, and to cry - it’s important to state that."
Mr Carrington said it was important to stay "focused", he said: "Not just on our own issues if we have them, but on recognising it in others too.
"We feel it’s important to state that we DO recognise there is a widespread mental health problem in hospitality and that we are not ignoring it."
He explained what the Applecross Inn is doing to help its team: "We have spent the last few weeks trying to source some in house mental health first aid training.
"We have also paid for gym membership for our entire team at Applecross Gym. Working out is a proven way of improving mental health and many of our team are regular gym goers now.
"We try our best to look after our team here, as well as each other, and we’re always looking at other ways to do so.
"Is this enough? Maybe not. But it’s a start, and every little helps.
"We recognise this.
"So to everyone who works this industry, we are with you. You are not alone."
