Blue Monday is said to be the most depressing day of the year. In actual fact, it was a PR stunt dreamt up by a travel company to sell holidays in January.

Depression isn’t just something that happens on a single day. Depression affects people in different ways and can be long or short term, with good days and bad days and can affect someone at any point in their life.

Regardless of whether Blue Monday is a real thing, there are several factors at play that may affect people’s mental health at this time of year; Christmas debt,  poor weather and long nights can have a detrimental effect on some peoples wellbeing.

When you add the challenges of the pandemic and lockdown, these early months of 2021 could be difficult for many people. In a bid to try and make a positive impact during this time, we are encouraging everyone at Wholebake to participate in Brew Monday this year.

Sharing a cup of tea is more than just a drink. Spending just a few minutes to check in with someone can really improve their day. It's about reaching out, checking in and staying connected.

Have think – is there anyone in your phonebook that might appreciate you checking in? Please take some time today to make contact with someone that you think will appreciate it. It will hopefully brighten your day a little too! Even with current restrictions, sharing a brew over zoom or facetime can work wonders to lift your spirits.

For more information, visit https://www.samaritans.org/branches/central-london/brew-monday-2020/

At Wholebake we want to go a step further in spreading some cheer and support for others. For every Wholebake employee that confirms to us that they have shared a brew and tells us one positive outcome or feeling from it, we will donate £5 to the North East Wales Samaritans branch. You can tell us about your brew at info@wholebake.co.uk.