Thrive at Night evaluation

Thrive at Night provides mental health and wellbeing support to Bristol’s Night Time Economy (NTE) workforce, through resources, training, peer support and trauma response support sessions.

Launched in 2022, Thrive at Night (TAN) was co-designed by Bristol Nights and Public Health teams alongside NTE organisations in response to a lack of resources and the mental health of workers operating between 6pm and 6am being overlooked.

Over that time, Bristol Nights have trained over 200 night time workers in topics relating to mental health and wellbeing through the Thrive at Night programme.

Understanding the needs of the sector

Working at night can be rewarding but challenging, with exposure to sexual harassment, violence, and trauma relating to drug and alcohol 4 out of 5 hospitality professionals have experienced at least one mental health issue during their career.

The NTE is an important part of Bristol’s economy, accounting for 41% of all jobs in the city (116,339), who look after 40,000 visitors every night.

Approximately a third of night time workers form part of the night time culture and leisure sector, consisting of bars, nightclubs, music venues, festivals, restaurants and hotels.

Whilst the sector has robust safety policies in place for their customers, policies are more limited for the NTE workforce, especially those connected through a freelance or contractor capacity.

Existing workplace policies are highly variable between workplaces and mental health provision can be less formalised, and often dependent on the relationship with the team lead.

Bristol Nights and the public health teams worked with the sector to understand what training they wanted and would most benefit from.

Feedback was used to develop thirteen topical workshops, each taking a deep dive into important, key aspects of what it is means to be living well, including:

·       Introduction to mental health and wellbeing inthe workplace (for managers)

·       Compassionate Leadership

·       Wellbeing Champions

·       Building and maintaining resilience

·       Spotting, managing and preventing burnout

·       Introduction to Financial Health

·       Introduction to LGBTQIA+ inclusion

·       Neurodiversity awareness training

Bristol Nights partnered with NAOS and The Burnt Chef Project – global leaders in mental health and wellbeing support for hospitality – to deliver the Thrive at Night programme.

To help us measure the effectiveness and impact of the Thrive at Night programme Bristol Nights carried out an evaluation survey in partnership with PHIRST – part of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

People were asked to share their thoughts, whether they had taken advantage of the Thrive at Night training and resources or not, to give us a better understanding of the sector and what we need to do to better to support the needs of the NTE workforce.

Training workshops

32 workshops were delivered between June 2023 and February 2025. Of these, 28 were held in person and four held online.

Feedback from the survey shows the workshops were informative and inclusive, with the option to have open, honest conversations, in a safe space.

Workshop attendees were from 89 different organisations, which represents 8% of all licensed premises within Bristol’s NTE culture and leisure activities sector.

89% of attendees from micro, small or medium sized organisations, which reflects the wider Bristol NTE culture and leisure activities sector.

Kris Hall, Founder, The Burnt Chef Project, said:

“Thrive at Night has shown what’s possible when we stop just talking about mental health and start taking real action. The night time economy brings unique pressures, especially for hospitality teams who are too often left without support. Through this programme, we’ve seen lives changed, cultures shift, and businesses start to truly prioritise wellbeing. This isn’t a nice-to-have initiative—it’s a lifeline and a model every city should be looking at.”

A positive change for individuals

Compared to non-engagers, Thrive at Night engagers had better mental health outcomes and better mental health-related workplace environments.

Survey responses suggest workers and team leads who had engaged with Thrive at Night reported better mental health compared to those who had not, with people feeling more confident in being able to maintain their mental health and wellbeing after attending workshops.

Overall, engagers reported having a better workplace environment, better work engagement, and a lower prevalence of signs of burnout compared to non-engagers.

A positive change within organisations

Interview data suggested workshops influenced positive organisational change to standard workplace resources, including the provision of Thrive at Night handbooks, and to workplace culture and practices around mental health.

Team lead engagers reported that there were formalised mental health and wellbeing policy changes in some workplaces, which were aided by the Thrive at Night workbook resources.

It was generally felt that more practical support is needed through step-by-step guidance, advice and tools for organisations to effectively act upon and implement policy.

Access the Bristol Thrive at Night evaluation report from the NIHR Public Health Interventions Responsive Studies Teams (PHIRST) website.

Next Steps

Bristol Nights will continue to support the health and wellbeing of the night time workforce.

Support and materials are available on the website for managers and team members.

https://www.bristolnights.co.uk/projects/thrive-at-night