Mental health charity starts educational pilot at The Henley College.

The Henley College is delighted to be working with Brave Mind, a charity focusing on mental health within the rugby community. 

Former student Simon Trower (pictured) set up Brave Mind after experiencing poor mental health for much of his life.  Simon played for Henley Rugby Club until the age of 26 when he unfortunately experienced a back injury, and is now a Client Services Director in the packaging innovation industry. He previously coached at Maidenhead RFC in his spare time, which is where the idea for Brave Mind came about, after meeting a young player who was very open and positive about his mental health, which inspired Simon to set up the charity.  

Brave Mind is trialling a series of educational sessions with the College’s Boys’ Elite Rugby Rugby students. The Brave Mind team includes Gilly Thomas who is an accredited sport & exercise psychologist & mental health first aider. Gilly & the team will work with the students on their mental health, psychological safety and performance, and give them an opportunity to connect in a safe space.  

About the trial at The Henley College, Simon said:  

“We are absolutely delighted to be working with the College on our first educational pilot. Many thanks to Tom Redfern and the wider college team, for giving us this opportunity, and also to the students for showing the desire and passion to be a part of the programme. Lastly, huge thanks to Henley Rugby Club for their kind donation in funding the programme. A great example of a strong Henley community striving for a positive future.”  

Head Rugby Coach at The Henley College, Tom Redfern said:  

“We are really excited to be working with Brave Mind. We are looking forward to supporting our students with practical ideas on how they can develop their mental skills for performance and the real world. Through this programme we hope to shed light on how mental skills can be trained and how it can support player and person development. This programme will extend over a number of weeks of work showing our commitment to holistic player development within our Elite Rugby Programme at The Henley College. Brave Mind have some really inspiring people within their organisation, and we are looking forward to learning from them.”