Peterborough SMEs to hear story of ‘deep dark’ depression from national mental health campaigner

Local firms will be represented at the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2024 which will be held at the Cambridge Marina on Thursday 5 September 2024 and which are recognised as the most prestigious celebration of local business success.

Ashley Riley, an SME owner whose story has been covered on the BBC set up the online support group Blue Soul Shoes following his experience of a middle aged male mental crisis.

“At the start of 2023 as an outgoing, comfortable, loud, business owning confident man I started suffering from a low mood and had a brief panic attack.” Ashley Riley will tell over 300 SMEs attending the event.“Within a month it turned in to life stopping anxiety and deep, dark depression.

“I genuinely thought this type of thing didn’t happen to people like me.”

Mental health has become one of the most pressing issues middle aged men experience with 70% of all men reporting an experience of anxiety or depression but only 40% of men willing to speak to someone about it.

Blue Soul Shoes is the good cause for the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2024 and guest will be asked to make donations to support the outreach work of the group.

“Of all suicides in the UK over 75% are men,” Ashley continued, “this is simply not acceptable as we see more and more men, their jobs, the relationships, their families and their lives devastated by mental health challenges.

“We are honoured and humbled to be asked to be the good cause for this special celebration of SMEs across the city of Peterborough and across Cambridgeshire.

“Owners and operators of SMEs know only too well the hard work and stress that goes into being successful and how sadly, far too often, that can lead to real and problematic mental health challenges.”

Ashley has talked about medication he took made him worse, how a GP shouted at him to ‘calm down’, how he ended up in a psychiatric hospital and one month later had two strokes in two days.

“The SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2024 wanted to show its commitment to the health and well-being of people running and working in SMEs.” said Damian Cummins, Director of the Awards. “There is a rise in middle aged men experiencing mental health challenges and it is important that they can reach out to other guys for support.

“That is why we are supporting Blue Soul Shoes and why we are asking that on a night of business celebration attendees make any donation they can to support Ashley and his teams work. “It really is making a difference.”

Ashley has recently told national audiences about his experience, his first-hand knowledge of the physical and emotional challenges middle aged men face and how his work is succeeding in getting more and more men to share their mental health struggles.

“There is no silver bullet to cure mental health problems but it is not something you have to live with for the rest of your life.” Ashley will tell local SMEs. “It can happen to anyone, it is not your fault but if you leave it then it won’t just go away. I’ve been there, it is awful but you can better and you are not on your own.”

Those who have heard of Blue Soul Shoes and who have heard Ashley speak have said “Ashley is honest and pulls no punches. He demonstrates such resilience in the face of events that overtook him.” one said.

“One of the most honest and hard hitting talks I have ever heard.” said another.

For anyone who is experiencing mental health challenges and who wants to learn more from Ashley’s story they can visit https://bit.ly/BlueSoulShoes which has links to a number of online resources. They can also make donations to the work of the organisation via that link.

For more information on the SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2024 please visit SME Cambridgeshire Business Awards | Events & PR (eventsandpr.co.uk)