Mental Health Motorbike (MHM) – the charity which provides mental health support from and between bikers – has teamed up to with Phoenix Motorcycle Training to make mental health awareness an integral part of rider training. MHM is training 24 members of Phoenix staff as Mental Health First Aiders, spread across all of the company’s 22 sites in the UK.

Paul Oxborough founded MHM in 2020 after a friend suffered as a result of poor mental health. “We lost a friend to suicide and decided we had to do something about it,” he said. “Having been a motorcyclist for so long, I knew that community and thought that was a good place to start.” Mental Health Motorbike now has a nationwide network of mental health first-aiders, all of whom have had training to enable them to offer support to anyone who needs it. Support from big names like Bennetts, Thorneycroft Solicitors, Biker Down, Doc Bike and others has enabled MHM to spread the word at motorcycle meeting points and shows.

Phoenix picked up on the charity’s work after recognising that motorcyclists are seen as a high-risk group when it comes to mental health and suicide risk. A statement read: “The aim is to ensure the wellbeing of students and staff (and) create a supportive environment.”

Jim Freeman, Chair of the BMF, thought the whole ethos of MHM is well worth supporting: “Riding bikes has always been a mind clearing opportunity for many of us. It’s great to see that being taken a step or two further.”

Written by Peter Henshaw 

Top image courtesy of MHM Facebook page