New Ford trailer fleet to raise awareness for mental health campaign

Ford is adding 10 liveried trailers to its UK transport operations fleet to mark this year’s ‘Time to Talk’ day.

The trailers each feature the message: “Don’t let mental health be the elephant in the room”. The trailers will travel thousands of miles a year, acting as mobile billboards to raise awareness of the Time to Change campaign, which aims to end mental health discrimination.

Last year, Ford partnered with Time to Change, producing a national awareness film called Elephant in the Transit, promoting the front seat of a vehicle as a safe space to talk after research, conducted by Ford, found that over two-thirds (67 per cent) of people said they were more comfortable talking about personal concerns when in a vehicle.

“One in four of us go through mental health issues at some point in our lives, so it really affects everyone, be it through personal experience or through people we know,” said Ford of Britain managing director, Andy Barratt. “As the market-leading van brand in the UK, Ford is an important part of society and we want to use that relationship to reach as many people as possible and encourage them to talk about mental health.”

“We’re delighted that Ford continues to be committed to improving attitudes towards mental health,” said Director of Time to Change, Jo Loughran. “We’ve come a long way in recent years but still, too many people with mental health problems are made to feel isolated, worthless and ashamed. Time to Talk Day is an opportunity to break down barriers and have real and meaningful conversations about mental health – however you do it. As Ford’s public awareness film highlights, talking about mental health doesn’t have to be the elephant in the room.”