A FORMER professional footballer left unable to work due to panic attacks is launching a campaign to help hundreds of North Wales employees get support with their mental health.

Ian Benbow, managing director of Social Impact Company Case-UK Limited, has teamed up with social enterprise Rhyl City Strategy (RCS) and Able Futures Mental health Support Service to create a single point of contact to access free workplace health support.

Mr Benbow, 46, a former striker with Hereford United FC and Telford United FC, set up Case-UK Limited after suffering severe anxiety attacks following a diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardio-myopathy - a hereditary heart condition which causes Sudden Adult Death and caused Fabrice Muamba to collapse on the pitch at Tottenham in 2012.

Father of three Mr Benbow, originally from Merthyr Tydfil, said: “I didn’t realise what the impact would be when I was first diagnosed, I was taken into hospital with a pain in my foot which was gout, but they also thought I might be having a heart attack.

“I had the defibrillator fitted which shocks me if my heart fails. It’s very traumatic when it happens.

“Afterwards I had this realisation, I’ve been walking around with this ticking time bomb inside me. It was after that when I started having anxiety attacks.”

Together with Ali Thomas, operational director of RCS, Mr Benbow is calling on anyone whose mental health may be affecting their work to ask for help.

GPs, health professionals and employers are also encouraged to pass RCS’s details to any employees who are at risk of going off sick or are already off sick due to a mental health issue.

The pioneering not-for-profit organisation will direct people to the most appropriate support for them, depending on what their needs are, and where they live and work in Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Anglesey.

Mr Thomas said: said: “Providing timely support for people who are finding it hard to cope in work is hugely beneficial, both for employees and for their employers.

“We face an ever-growing demand for the service, not only from people who are off sick, but also from an ever increasing number of people who recognise they need help to prevent them from getting to that stage.

“The new partnership with Able Futures will mean we can now extend our support to more working people in the area.”

Ian said: “We all live and work within an uncertain world where anything can happen to anyone, anywhere. Having seen the highs and lows of life that had an impact on my ability to cope in work, I came to understand it is ok to ask for help during difficult times.

“Working in Partnership with RCS will provide residents in North Wales with a co-ordinated approach to mental health support in the workplace”.

To find out more visit rcs-wales.co.uk