‘Brew Monday’ goes virtual as rail industry supports mental wellbeing

The rail industry participated in Samaritans’ first ever virtual ‘Brew Monday’ campaign on January 18.

The annual event aims to encourage people to reach out to friends, family members and colleagues. It is always held on the third Monday in January - a day unofficially dubbed ‘blue Monday’ and anecdotally thought to be the most depressing of the year.

Due to social distancing restrictions, Samaritans volunteers were unable to be at stations to fundraise, offer refreshments, and talk to passengers about the importance of staying connected throughout the pandemic.

The number of rail staff able to physically get together was also significantly reduced, so colleagues were encouraged to make time for a ‘virtual cuppa’ with one another instead.

For those people who are still using the rail network, a special illustration from author Charlie Mackesy was displayed on digital screens at Network Rail-operated stations, including London Waterloo.

The illustration comes from Mackesy’s international best-selling book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, which has been widely credited with bringing comfort to many people over the last year through its uplifting drawings and words of hope.

• For the FULL story read RAIL 923, published on January 27, and available digitally from January 23.