Strengthening Wellbeing Across Savills‑Managed Shopping Centres

Savills Property Management oversees some of the UK’s most dynamic retail and shopping environments, delivering best‑in‑class services that enhance the experience for shoppers, visitors, and staff alike. With their customer‑first approach and commitment to creating safe, welcoming destinations, Savills recognised the growing need to support the mental wellbeing of the teams who keep these centres running smoothly.
Mental Health Awareness
For the past 4 years we have partnered with Savills to deliver Mental Health First Aid and Bespoke Suicide Intervention Training tailored specifically to the fast‑paced retail landscape. Shopping centres are unique environments — high footfall, diverse customer interactions, and the pressure of maintaining a safe, positive atmosphere every day. 

Our MHFAiders® and MHFA Champions courses equipped centre teams with practical, real‑world skills to recognise early signs of mental health challenges, respond sensitively, and create supportive spaces for colleagues and customers. 

Throughout the training, participants engaged deeply with the content, sharing experiences from frontline retail roles and exploring how mental health awareness can transform workplace culture. Savills’ commitment to investing in staff wellbeing was clear: they wanted their teams not only to feel confident supporting others, but also to feel supported themselves.
SuiciThe New Guard Safety Champions course has now been delivered to security, cleaning, and management teams across 36 of Savills’ 145 UK‑owned shopping centres, training more than 700 staff in practical, scenario‑based suicide‑intervention skills.

The programme equips frontline teams with the confidence to recognise signs of distress, start supportive conversations, and take safe, appropriate action. Alongside this, the course strengthens situational awareness, early‑risk identification, and confident decision‑making — helping centres build safer, more resilient environments for colleagues, retailers, and visitors.

The impact was immediate. Teams reported increased confidence, clearer communication, and a renewed sense of resilience. Many shared that the training helped them navigate difficult customer interactions, support colleagues during stressful periods, and contribute to a more positive, people‑focused culture within their centres.
Savills continues to lead the way in creating retail destinations that are not only commercially successful but also compassionate, safe, and supportive for everyone who works or visits there. 

Our partnership reflects a shared belief that wellbeing is at the heart of great places — and that empowered teams create exceptional experiences.

testimonials

 

The course content was very relatable to real life situations. This is the start of a long learning journey and if the content continues along this path it would benefit all. Chris has a very calm and collected method of delivery which fits my learning style. I was able to engage in debate and contribute effectively. Highly, highly recommend!

Savills Employee
MHFAider 2 day course
 

Chris Kenny is a wonderful instructor. I appreciate how engaged he kept the class the entire time. I was able to remain focused. I believe this was due to a mixture of practical activities that were done individually and also as a group, and having regular breaks/different ways of learning through reading and visual. Thank you so much for making it super informative and practical!

     
Savills
MHFAider 2 day Course
 

“Chris is a fantastic instructor with an infectious teaching style that leave you wanting to learn more about the subject. I really enjoyed the course and have gain a lot form it. Thank you".

     
Savills
New Guard Safety Champions
 

Great course content and brilliant trainer who was clearly passionate about the content and mental health. Look forward to the two day course.

Savills Employee
MHFA England Champions - 1 day course
 

I really enjoyed the course, very informative and easy to follow. The instructor Chris Kenny was awesome, really helpful and very approachable. made everything clear and easy to learn and follow. I would highly recommend to course to others. Thank you for the experience.

Savills Employee
MHFAider 2 day course
 

I enjoyed the Mental Health First Aid course and feel my knowledge and understanding of different mental health conditions has greatly improved, along with my confidence in how to support people effectively. Overall, I would highly recommend the course and Chris as the instructor made understanding things easier.

Savills - Highcross Shoppion Centre
MHFAider 2 day course
 

The Safety Champion training is a worthwhile course with plenty of relevant content regarding vulnerable persons and what can be done to assist them if they find themselves needing help. Despite the solemn nature of some of the content Chris’s delivery is informative, entertaining and keeps attendees engaged while discussing some serious topics. We have put our staff on several similar courses and the feedback received about the Safety Champion training is by far the most positive”.

Savills
New Guard Safety Champions
 

"Chris was exceptional! His overall approach to the audience and how he delivered the content was excellent. His explanations and insights (some quite personal), made the course feel very relevant to me as an individual. I would highly recommend him".

Savills
New Guard Safety Champions
 

Chris was great very relatable and delivered the content for my team very well. We all came away understanding mental health and our roles as mental health first aid champions. I would recommended this course to others and would like to thank Chris for his time and efforts delivering this course for my team.

Savills - Brent Cross
MHFAider 2 day course