This World Mental Health Day, Gattaca Plc is embarking on a fundraising challenge to support engineers and their families worldwide by raising funds for Foothold.

Gattaca, an engineering and technology recruitment specialist and outsourced staffing solutions provider, is keen to support STEM communities around the world, following the challenges caused by the global pandemic. Raising funds for a charity with a 130 year-long history of supporting engineers and their families is a key part of this commitment.

Gattaca Group Director Matthew Wragg said: “Here at Gattaca we are on a mission to do what we can to make things better. We want to help as many clients, candidates, colleagues, contacts and communities as we can. We want to join the dots of all the passion and capability we have from within the business and our networks, with the aim to help people who need support. We know how important mental health and wellbeing is to our communities. Many have experienced considerable mental health challenges brought on by the physical, medical, social or economic impacts we’re all facing.”

Foothold fundraiser

Members of the Gattaca management board will take on an epic 112-mile journey of walking, running and cycling along the South Coast of England. Money raised by the team will help us support engineers and their families experiencing challenges with their mental health, wellbeing and finances.

Foothold’s CEO Jane Petit said “We’re delighted that Gattaca has chosen Foothold to benefit from their fundraising. Last year we supported more than 1200 engineers and their families around the world. Since Covid-19 we’ve seen a 300% increase in calls for our help. With the anticipated increase in mental health problems as a result of the current health crisis, the support of Gattaca has never been more vital to our work.”

World Mental Health Day

This year’s World Mental Health Day (10 October) comes at a time when our daily lives have changed considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is an increased pressure and stress put on people who are facing challenges related to the pandemic. And yet, mental health support remains underfunded in most areas.

The need for mental health and psychosocial support will substantially increase in the coming months and years. Investment in mental health programmes at the national and international levels is now more important than ever. This is why the goal of this year’s World Mental Health Day campaign is increased investment in mental health.

Mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health. Close to 1 billion people are living with a mental disorder, 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol and one person dies every 40 seconds by suicide. And now, billions of people around the world have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which is having a further impact on people’s mental health.

Yet, relatively few people around the world have access to quality mental health services. In low and middle-income countries, more than 75% of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their condition at all. Furthermore, stigma, discrimination, punitive legislation and human rights abuses are still widespread.

We’re continuously working to improve the lives of engineers and their family members facing mental health challenges. More funding means more opportunities for those affected by the pandemic to get the support they need and go on to lead fulfilling lives.