PENDLE Council has received a national mental health award for its work with local employers to help them spot the signs of mental health problems in their staff.

Imtiaz Shah, from Pendle Council, and Jane Summers, from Burnley Council, jointly ran the training, part of Burnley and Pendle Healthy Workplaces.

Together they trained more than 160 people from local businesses and organisations across Burnley and Pendle.

As the lead organisation Pendle Council was presented with a Mental Health First Aid England Award in recognition of its work.

The council came third in the category Organisations who Employ Instructors, with a special mention to Mr Shah for the training he gave.

Coun Anthony Beckett, who oversees the council’s health and wellbeing work, said: “Imtiaz was nominated for the award by a number of people who attended his training.

“This shows what an excellent job he did to help employers support their staff and maintain a happy and healthy workforce.”

Mr Shah, Pendle Council’s employer engagement officer, said: “Many of us are trained as traditional first aiders and know what to do if someone has a medical problem but mental health first aid is an area which is as important.”