PC finalist for mental health app award

A police constable has been recognised as a finalist for a prestigious award in recognition of her work in implementing a mental health app across the force.

Mother of four, Claire Bond, 50, who is the wellbeing-being lead for Staffordshire Police Federation, has worked as a PC for the force for the last 20 years.

During this time, she has introduced the ‘Thrive’ mental health and wellbeing app across the organisation and led a number of wellbeing conferences to help officers boost morale and most recently, recover from the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.

Claire took an interest in mental health and wellbeing following a serious incident in 2018 which saw her tackle an out-of-control driver.

Claire was run over, dragged along the ground and crushed against a fence in the attack as she tried to stop the driver heading towards the Stafford 10k race route, which was full of runners.

She subsequently underwent a five-hour operation to save her shattered leg and almost lost her life.

The driver, drug dealer Gurajdeep Malhi, was later jailed 12 years after admitting wounding.

The incident left Claire with both physical and mental scars.

She said: “After what happened to me, when I was told front line work wasn’t an option anymore, I realised how exhausted and stressed colleagues seemed, so I wanted to do something to make a difference.

“I was so grateful to be alive that I wanted to help people feel the same way and support them to put themselves and their mental health first.”

By the end of 2020, the ‘Thrive’ app was made available to all 3,500 officers and staff across the force, with it also being made available to their friends and family if needed.

Claire said: “It’s so easy to get consumed in the day-job, but we need to protect the protectors and help people to help themselves to better mental health."

Now she has been picked as a finalist at The #InsideOut Awards 2022 within the ‘large employer of the year’ category.

The category recognises the employer who has implemented the best mental health and wellbeing programme in the year, focussing on recovery and preventative solutions.

The award ceremony is due to take place tomorrow (Thursday 24 March), at The Troxy in London.

Speaking ahead of the final, Claire said: “It’s so humbling that people think I deserve to be nominated, let alone a finalist.

“Even if I don’t win, I’m so proud to have been part of this mental health focus across the force and will continue to do all I can to support colleagues to look after themselves.”

For more information on how we support police officers and staff, visit: Equality, diversity and inclusion | Staffordshire Police.

For more on the Thrive app, visit: Thrive: Mental Wellbeing | Home.

To find out more about the awards, visit: InsideOut Awards - celebrating our mental health and those who champion it.