SALISBURY BID has teamed up with an anxiety specialist to support business leaders and their employees through the mental effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

As the business improvement district for Salisbury city centre, the BID is working hard to support their business members throughout this unprecedented situation.

The BID says it "recognises the mental strain business leaders and their employees may be feeling during the pandemic", so they have teamed up with Caroline Cavanagh of Adding Zest, to deliver a mental resilience programme.

The support programme includes a series of weekly webinars which will take place on every Wednesday for the next three weeks, each at 2pm.

Caroline will lead the sessions which are designed to provide people with the tools they need to build their mental resilience.

The session will follow with a Q&A session allowing the audience to get input to their own specific needs.

The webinars are free for Salisbury BID levy payers and their employees.

Register in advance here.

Caroline has also written guidance for business leaders, enabling them to effectively support their employees during the lockdown, whilst also facing their own challenges.

Robin McGowan, chief executive of Salisbury BID, said: “We recognise the impact the outbreak may have on people’s mental health. Even those who have strong mental resilience are bound to be feeling anxious and stressed during these uncertain times.

“Employers have a duty of care for their employees, and we want to make sure we provide our local business leaders with the tools and guidance they need to be able to effectively support their employees.”

Caroline said: “The risks that COVID-19 places on physical health will be relatively short lived, whilst the impact on people emotionally will continue beyond the lockdown.

"It is important to recognise the need to build a mental strength that will carry us through the pandemic and support a resilience to address the future challenges too.

“I’m delighted to team up with the BID to help Salisbury’s business leaders and their employees build their mental strength and resilience.”

To help people with their own specific challenges to their mental resilience, Caroline is offering a one-to-one session at a reduced rate for Salisbury BID levy payers and their employees.

These online sessions will be available for £50 (normal rate £70).

Please contact Caroline directly on caroline@addingzest.com and state the name of the Salisbury BID levy paying business you work for to redeem the special offer.

Details of Salisbury BID’s full mental resilience programme can be found here.

Salisbury BID has also been hosting a weekly support webinar for businesses. Every week, the BID team and their panel of local experts have been providing businesses an update on the latest information, and businesses are also given the opportunity to ask the panel questions.

Next week (Tuesday, April 21 at 3pm), the Leader of Wiltshire Council, Councillor Philip Whitehead, will be joining the panel.

This webinar is free for Salisbury businesses and you can register here.