Mental Health First Aid England recognised in list of Europe’s fastest growing companies



[Friday 7th April] In its tenth anniversary year, leading mental health training provider Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England CIC has been included on a list of Europe’s 1,000 fastest growing companies. The inaugural FT 1000 special report, compiled by the Financial Times, was launched to recognise the innovative and fast-growing companies that are the driving force of the European economy.

MHFA England provides courses teaching people to identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health issue. The Community Interest Company’s annual revenue has grown by 195% over the last three years, meaning the not-for-profit business is placed at number 547 on the list as compiled by data provider Statista. Entry into the list is only available for companies with revenue of at least €1.5m generated in 2015, which are headquartered in one of 31 European countries.

The growth of MHFA England has been driven largely by a marked increase in interest from the employment sector around mental health training.  This has contributed to a big uplift in the number of courses being booked and delivered by the likes of Unilever, WH Smith, EY, Crossrail and other UK plcs. Training delivered within the public sector has also contributed to the company’s growth, with organisations such as NHS England and NHS Improvements rolling out large scale Mental Health First Aid programmes. In order to meet this demand, MHFA England has trained in excess of 1000 instructors who are located across all the regions and deliver training throughout England.

Poppy Jaman, CEO for MHFA England said:

“We are delighted to be featured on this special report. We’ve seen excellent growth in the past five years, and this marks an exciting time for us as we have now trained over 178,000 people in England. As we grow we are continuing to move closer to achieving our long-term goal of training 1 in 10 people in Mental Health First Aid skills.  We are also observing a trend within bigger organisations who are pledging to train as many Mental Health First Aiders as physical first aiders.” Poppy also offered her congratulations to the other independent companies that have joined MHFA England on this aspirational list.

Bernice Cole, Director of Finance & HR for MHFA England said:

“Having been involved with MHFA England since it was established as a Community Interest Company I can say with complete confidence that whilst our recent financial growth is driven by the increased demand for mental health awareness it is also a result of the incredible work that our instructors are doing out in the community. This recognition of our growth is a result of the hard work of the wider MHFA community – people of all backgrounds coming together with the common goal of training the nation in Mental Health First Aid skills.”

The full FT 1000 special report can be seen at ft.com/reports/europes-fastest-growing-companies.

For further information about MHFA training visit mhfaengland.org.

-ENDS-

 

Notes to editors

For further information about MHFA England, to arrange interviews or request photography, please email Angus Walker at angus@mhfaengland.org or call 020 7250 8116.

 

About MHFA England

  1. MHFA England is a Community Interest Company established in 2009.

  2. MHFA England delivers Mental Health First Aid training, the mental health equivalent of physical first aid, to businesses, healthcare professionals, educational settings, the armed forces community  and the public.

  3. The training course provides participants with the skills and confidence to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues and effectively guide the person towards the right support services.
  4. MHFA England’s mission is to increase mental health awareness and reduce the stigma associated with mental ill health.
  5. To date more than 178,000 people in England are trained in Mental Health First Aid.
  6. As well as the Adult  MHFA course, the organisation runs a number of other bespoke courses including Youth MHFA, Higher Education MHFA and Armed Forces MHFA.
  7. MHFA is an internationally recognised course, taught in 23 countries around the world. There are now almost two million Mental Health First Aiders worldwide.
  8. More information about MHFA England and its courses can be found at www.mhfaengland.org

 

About the FT 1000 Special Report:

  1. In order to be included in the ranking your company must meet the following criteria:

  • Revenue of at least €100,000 generated in 2012.[i]
  • Revenue of at least €1.5m generated in 2015. [ii]
  • Be independent (NO subsidiary or branch office of any kind).
  • Be headquartered in one of 31 European countries.[iii]
  1. The ranking is determined by the growth in revenue between the years 2012 and 2015.
  2. Net revenue adjusted for returns, excluding value added tax and derived solely from business activities (excluding any other operating income) as disclosed in the company report is used as the definition of revenue.

[i] Non-euro countries: currency value equivalent as of 31/12/12 and 31/12/2015

[ii] Non-euro countries: currency value equivalent as of 31/12/12 and 31/12/2015

[iii] Eligible to participate are all companies from these countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.