The community is invited to attend a mental health awareness fair on the grounds of City Hall in Hamilton on Thursday.

The Bermuda Hospitals Board said the event will be held on World Mental Health Day and people will be able to participate in activities which are based on this year’s theme, Movement: Moving more for our mental health.

Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, will speak at the opening ceremony of the event which runs from 11am to 4pm.

The BHB said teams from the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute and from community agencies will be on hand to share information with visitors.

Anna Neilson-Williams, acting chief of staff and chief of psychiatry at BHB, said: “We are pleased to see that the emphasis is growing in our community of the importance in caring for our mental wellness just as we care for our physical bodies.”

Dr Neilson-Williams said teams at MWI and in the community were dedicated to assisting people with mental illness and those with mental health challenges, to live as independently as possible through various treatment therapies and support.

She added: “We are working hard to rid our community of any stigma about mental illness.

“This will pave the way for all of us to be comfortable sharing how we feel with friends and family and to have no apprehension when we need to seek professional assistance.”

She said the community will have an opportunity to enhance its knowledge of mental health and mental illnesses by attending the event.