The initiative is aimed at posing questions in an hourly slot and inviting discussion on several topics relating to mental health, allowing the Twitter community to respond to the questions, provide insight for other users and increase social engagement.

The initiative will launch on Tuesday 8^th December and will again take place on Tuesday 22^nd December from 8-9pm as part of a trial run. 4 questions inviting conversation from the Hampshire FA Twitter community will be scheduled and posted on the Hampshire FA channel for members to answer and engage with during the hour slot. The idea behind the initiative is to encourage community and social engagement during difficult times (such as the recent national lockdown and easing back into a 'new norm'), particularly in the winter months as well, where people are most likely to suffer from season affective disorder.

The slot will finish off with a social media graphic advertising and reiterating the support available from the Havant & East Hants Mind charity together with web and social media links, signposting individuals to further seek support if they feel they require it. We hope to achieve regular social media engagement and expand options for those suffering with mental ill health, allowing the Twitter community to respond with their own ways of coping and tips for dealing with unpleasant and distressing situations whilst simultaneously encouraging personal interaction.

Hampshire FA will be present to like/retweet or respond to any enquiries on the hour slot on both Tuesdays. Anyone seeking additional help who reach out to us on the channel will be signposted at the first opportunity to the Havant & East Hants Mind charity. We openly invite suggestions to help boost this initiative and hope that together we can rely on one another for an additional helping hand where internal battles with one’s mental health can surface as a result of external pressures.

To partake in the initiative simply log on to Twitter and go onto Hampshire FA’s channel. The first question will be posted at 8pm and each question from thereon scheduled quarterly in the hour. Partake by answering each question, liking and retweeting the posts and contributing ideas to the initiative by sending Hampshire FA a PM with those suggestions.

“We are grateful to Havant & East Hants Mind for the support in producing these questions and inviting discussions on key topics for our members on social media. Our vision for the partnership is to continue to work closely with the charity and seek opportunities to boost community engagement and build support for our members and network who suffer with mental ill health. We hope the trial initiative is successful and we see active engagement in the hour slot from our members”. Neil Cassar, CEO of Hampshire FA.

"We are delighted to be developing opportunities to increase community engagement within and as part of our partnership with Hampshire FA. We would like to thank their Communications Team for hosting this Twitter chat and for signposting to our free to access services and training opportunities.

As we enter winter and a close to 2020, we are continuing to evolve our communication tools for local communities, workplaces and sports clubs. This has increasingly meant creating and developing online support, such as this twitter chat. If anyone would like to find out more about our support for sports clubs specifically, please contact ambassadors@easthantsmind.org or visit our website easthantsmind.org " Mike Lock, Head of Communications & Community Engagement at Havant and East Hants Mind.

For suggestions or anything else relating to the partnership with the Mind charity, please contact Communications@HampshireFA.com