Noush and Mo are two experienced paddlesport coaches and First Aid for Mental Health trainers. They are on a mission to raise awareness in the field of Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Christine Hogben, Paddle Scotland Mental Health and Wellbeing Group 

“Our vision as a group for Paddle Scotland is to enable a culture where Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing are seen as equal, and all paddlers, leaders, coaches and club committees can access the appropriate support and development equally. 

"At Paddle Scotland we have a belief that recreational paddlesport is something that many people can benefit from, for the wellbeing, health and social impacts.  We want to welcome people to paddlesports in an inclusive environment where their physical and mental health and wellbeing is supported. In an environment where physical first aid, safeguarding and safety and rescue are the norm, why would we not want to put the same emphasis on the wellbeing and mental health of our community?” 

Noush Duffy

“In delivering First Aid for Mental Health we aim to help create a culture of support specifically within the paddling community. Growing understanding of the benefits of paddling in nature is encouraging people to turn to it to improve and maintain a positive state of wellbeing. So, though we may not always realise it, we are likely to be interacting with people with lower levels of positive mental wellbeing and / or clinically diagnosed mental health conditions. We also need to acknowledge the impact that some experiences within paddling itself, such as physical injury or traumatic event, may have on mental wellbeing. It is vital to have identifiable staff, coaches, leaders, and participants to guide people towards appropriate support. First Aid for Mental Health training addresses this need and gives these staff the awareness to care for themselves when undertaking this role”.

The Paddle Scotland members who attended found it “very concise and informative”, “really insightful”, and “very worthwhile”. They enjoyed “being in a paddlesports community delivered by a paddlesports and Mental Health professional who cares” and having “opportunities to share experiences and be brave.”

Participant feedback:

“Noush did a really good job and her enthusiasm, passion showed the whole day.”

“Thanks for your commitment and supporting this.”

“Great delivery of course.”

“Good examples, very informative, encouraged participation.”

These courses are as relevant and inspiring as physical first aid courses. With a “wealth of knowledge [and experience] in the room” and a specific syllabus to cover, there was a lot to process and desire to discuss further. A consistent suggested improvement for the course was “more time”. This demonstrates the need for more opportunities to engage with Mental Health and Wellbeing, to continue our learning journey collaboratively. As one participant said, “would be great if this was [the] beginning of a community of practice!”.

We wish to thank those who attended for getting involved and contributing so much to our joint experience.

What's Next?

This forms part of our longer term strategy to increase Mental Health knowledge and awareness within our sport and was the first of other subsidised courses to follow. We’d like to thank Noush and Mo for sharing their expertise and experience with the participants and to What’SUP? Scotland for helping us offer this at an affordable cost.

We hope you will want to be part of the journey to enable a culture where Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing are seen as equal.