Four businessmen will this week launch a new service which provides support for people who have fallen on hard times in Aberdeen’s corporate sector.
The Business Connection will organise fortnightly meetings for business people who want to discuss their fears and anxieties with others who are in the same boat.
The charity will also refer people onto third party organisations that specialise in financial advice, or counselling for those considering suicide.
Co-founder Jim Grimmer, who works for Matrix Risk Control, an oil and gas sector incident investigator, said the service could be invaluable at a time when many high fliers are facing the threat of redundancy or pay cuts amid the oil and gas industry downturn.
Mr Grimmer set up the organisation alongside Martyn Link, an analyst at Wood Group PSN; George Thom, a director at Royal Bank of Scotland; and Gregor Howitt, who owns his own eponymous wealth management business.
They will officially launch the support service on Friday at an event at the Palm Court Hotel.
Mr Grimmer, who worked for the police for 20 years, said: “We are four guys who work in the corporate sector and we know the challenges: long hours, stress and dedication to work before family.
“We want to give people an opportunity to speak over a coffee and have human interaction. They can share in confidence what is going on in their lives and support and encourage one another. We can then signpost them onto the appropriate help.”
In addition to the fortnightly meetings, the Business Connection is planning to start a series of monthly events featuring presentations by experts on the topics of financial stress and depression.
The organisation will also give people an opportunity to use their contacts to help one another find new jobs, in the case of those who have been laid off.
Mr Grimmer, who has funded the organisation alongside the other founders, added: “There is strength of bringing people together who are in the same situation and showing there they are not the only one.
“A person might have lost their job and think they’re not that great, but then they see a more experienced person who has lost their job and that restores some belief.”
Details of The Business Connection’s functions, as well as information on how to make a donation, are available on the charity’s website: thebusinessconnection.org
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