Yorkshire family man's shock to be honoured by the King for work with mental health support on the buses

The family man, from Dewsbury, has been awarded a BEM for services to mental health for his work with the HR team at First Bus North and West Yorkshire.

Heading up a network of Mental Health First Aiders, he saw people struggling in the pandemic and helped set up a support network. He has since published over 30 wellbeing newsletters with advice, strategies, and resources. To be recognised, he said, shows how important the work is that First Bus is doing to protect its workers' wellbeing and their welfare.

"Public transport, especially buses, is very male dominated," he said. "There is that stigma. It was important for us to encourage colleagues to look after their emotional wellbeing. It further cements that the work we are doing is important."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The letter came close to a month ago, said Mr Mahmed, and he has struggled to keep it quiet. There will be much celebrating, he added, with colleagues and family.

"It was a shock, and the letter did take some repeated reading," he said. "Then I found myself on the phone to the Cabinet Office, because I had to confirm it was for me.

"It's overwhelming. It gets to a point where I get a bit emotional, in a good way.

"Work like this is never just one guy, it's a collective achievement for everybody with First Bus and many people on this journey."

Andy Cullen, managing director of First Bus in North and West Yorkshire, said the whole team was "hugely proud" of 'Mubs' for his "outstanding" contribution.

“Mubs not only helped our drivers and others to cope with the pressures of the pandemic, his ideas have shaped a new way we approach support for mental health," he said.

"Our team leaders are better equipped to identify the signs that someone might be struggling and we have introduced fresh processes to manage their recovery."