'Tis the season to improve officer wellbeing

2 December 2019

Polfed

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has teamed up with a range of partners to provide advice and offers to improve police officer wellbeing in the run-up to Christmas.

Our advent calendar launched online on Saturday 1 December and will run until Christmas Eve – the idea is that a new door is unlocked each day to reveal a message or offer. The first day contained an offer of a loan from No1 CopperPot to help officers cover the cost of Christmas. Subsequent offers will include money off family days out, foreign trips, meals and advice about staying mentally and physically healthy during what can be an especially stressful time of year.

Belinda Goodwin, Secretary of PFEW’s Wellbeing Sub-Committee, said: "We know that policing is a high-pressure job at any time of the year, but Christmas brings its own challenges – whether around mental health, money worries, physical or general wellbeing.

"The offers in our advent calendar touch on those four pillars of wellbeing – mental, physical, financial and general – because it is important that officers know that there is help and support available if they are worried or feeling low. The message is, you are not alone, please reach out."

The calendar will also offer details about some of the charities that members can donate to if they want to help less fortunate members of the police family this Christmas.

Go here to access the calendar and check back each day to find out what the latest offer is.