THERE was a real “buzz” about the Lochgelly Centre last Wednesday evening as Lochgelly High School launched their Positive Health and Wellbeing Initiative with the help of their buzzy bee mascot!

Pupils, staff and families joined invited guests to hear about details about the programme which has been developed by a group of staff over the last year or so.

Local organisations who can provide support such as DAPL and CluedUp were also there on the night to hear about the project and to make connections with families in the community who might benefit from the work they do.

“The whole project was kick-started by our own young people,” said Mrs Fiona Milligan, a teacher from Lochgelly High School, who has been involved in the development of the project since it’s early days.

“Pupils told us that they didn’t know where to go for help if they needed it, and weren’t sure how to support their friends when they were struggling too. We also took inspiration from other schools who have done the same thing, realising that we could provide help and support from within our school and local community.”

In introducing the evening Mrs Debbie Aitken, rector of Lochgelly High School, spoke movingly about the need to break down the stigma surrounding mental health, and about how important it is that pupils and their families know they have the full support of the school when it comes to mental health issues.

Her words were echoed by the evening’s guest speaker, Claire Lavelle from The Hive of Wellbeing, who continued the theme by focusing on the importance of self-compassion and looking after your own mental health.

A major part of the initiative has been the production of a short booklet, “Positive Mental Health & Wellbeing,” which contains lots of useful information and advice. Staff and pupils have collaborated on the design and writing of the booklet which will start to appear in various locations across the community where people are welcome to pick up a copy for themselves. And the initiative’s mascot, a cute buzzy bee, will be appearing across Twitter alongside pupils and staff under the hashtags #BeeAndMe and #PauseTalkFly, encouraging you to take time for yourself.

So watch out for copies locally and join in the LHS journey towards more positive mental health.