"For advisers, being able to share both professional and personal journeys is incredibly powerful and informative."
- Donna Hopton, director at cherry
Mental wellbeing was a much talked about topic on the cherry industry forum in 2023, as was a controversial comment from broadcaster Paul Lewis.
The industry forum featured several threads recently that focused on mental health and wellbeing. One thread, which simply read “How is everyone doing?” generated a huge number of responses and positive engagement. On this thread people were able to share their thoughts and opinions on a range of topics, including the loss of a loved one, concerns surrounding an impending retirement, as well as personal business worries.
Another popular topic related to financial broadcaster and journalist Paul Lewis, who, unsurprisingly, sparked heated debate when he said the following on a publicly funded radio station:
“The way to get the best possible deal is to go to one of the big, national, independent mortgage brokers – don’t find a mortgage broker over the local cab shop in the high street".
Donna Hopton, director at cherry, said: “cherry is a wonderful community for intermediaries and there is always someone on hand to offer advice and support whether the query relates to mortgages, pensions, investments, GI, tax – anything at all really. And, for advisers, being able to share both professional and personal journeys is incredibly powerful and informative. cherry is very much business focussed but is also like a big family - and just as families sometimes argue and have differences of opinion, cherry ‘family’ members are also keen to offer support when others are struggling.
"I’d like to thank our members for creating such a hospitable and informative place on the internet for themselves and their industry colleagues. Professionalism is, of course, really key, but with this in mind it’s great that members feel able to express themselves no matter how they feel. It’s equally wonderful that others can rally round and offer emotional as well as professional support. The thread serves as a great reminder of this.
"More and more people are choosing to use cherry daily and some are moving to browsing and commenting via their phones and tablets outside of business hours. Anyone with concerns or subjects for debate who wishes to contribute constructively and professionally will be welcomed into the fold with open arms."
