Whether it’s the demands of caring for a baby, or being locked in a toxic relationship, lots of life experiences can affect our mental health.
And Canterbury social enterprise Route23, and Swale domestic abuse charity SATEDA, are just two of 10 good causes working to help people through tough times that have successfully applied for 2024 Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund grants.
Ranging from £500 to £15,000, the awards have been made by the Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Programme.
Funded by NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, and run by Kent County Council (KCC) and Medway Council, the programme leads on local suicide prevention strategy.
Over the past six years it's supported more than 100 organisations dedicated to saving lives and preventing self-harm through grant funding.
“We know all our grant recipients make a difference, providing expert support, friendship and hope”
KCC Director of Public Health, Dr Anjan Ghosh, said: “Yet again we received strong applications reflecting the impressive work going on in Kent and Medway to help people dealing with poor mental health.
“It saddens me greatly that the impacts of the COVID pandemic and cost of living crisis continue to play out – making more people vulnerable and unfairly impacting our most deprived communities.
“We know all our grant recipients make a difference, providing expert support, friendship and hope to those who feel lost and alone.”
“It’s these smaller organisations, often run by volunteers, that can help build an effective network of mental health support in our communities”
NHS Kent and Medway’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kate Langford, said: “This fund is really important to help people struggling with their mental health. It means that a wide range of smaller organisations that often struggle to get funding are able to get the support they need from the NHS.
“It’s these smaller organisations, often run by volunteers, that can help build an effective network of mental health support in our communities. People can learn from others who have been through similar experiences, understand how to help themselves and know where to go for support when they need it.”
Carey Philpott, Chief Executive of SATEDA, said: “Through the ‘Choose Liberty’ programme, we will help young women to understand their relationships and the choices they have. By promoting inner strength and sharing techniques to help increase mental wellness and resilience, we can reduce the risk of harm from domestic abuse."
This year’s grant recipients also include:
- Emerge, based in Medway Maritime Hospital
- Sheppey’s The Autism Apprentice
- Maidstone’s Blackthorn Trust
- Hoo’s wHoo Cares
Nathalie Belmas, Development Manager at the Blackthorn Trust, said: “This funding will enable us to support and empower more young people in our community.
Release the Pressure offers free expert advice from trained counsellors who can support no matter what you are going through
"We also welcome this opportunity to build on our working relationships with adolescent mental health professionals and local secondary schools.”
The full list of grant recipients and a summary of their projects is listed below.
Talk to someone to Release the Pressure by texting the word SHOUT to 85258 or calling 0800 107 0160.
Kent and Medway Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund 2024 grant recipients:
- The Autism Apprentice – based in Queenborough, Sheppey, this charity will hold advice clinics tailor-made for parents supporting an autistic child. Youth Groups will also provide a safe space for autistic children and young people to meet and make new friends.
- Blackthorn Trust – this Maidstone-based charity will run an 8-week peer support group for young people living with mental and physical health difficulties on a daily basis. Sessions will be led by a qualified therapist and focus on increasing participants’ independence and self-care skills, connections and views of the future.
- Emerge Medway – will put trained staff and volunteers in Medway Hospital’s Accident and Emergency and Children's Ward in the evenings to help provide support for 10-25's being treated for self-harm, a suicide attempt or emotional crisis – both during their time in hospital and once back in the community.
- Kent Association for the Blind (KAB) – will set up a self-help group for people living with sight loss to help others facing the same journey.
- Kent Family Hub – Ashford North Family Hub will create support packs for young people who are struggling with self-harm.
- Luna Foundation – a national social enterprise dedicated to transforming the way children and young people are supported after suicide bereavement, particularly after the death of a parent or primary caregiver. It will give suicide bereavement training to up to 80 professionals working with children aged up to 5 across Kent and Medway who have lost a parent to suicide.
- wHoo Cares – will run one-to-one and group support sessions for young people aged 11-24 living on the rural Hoo Peninsula who are experiencing poor mental health. Families and carers will also be involved and the support will be available to care leavers.
- Rewrite Your Story – this creative Kent-wide charity will work with students and staff at Mid-Kent College, Maidstone & Medway campuses, to set up a support network for young people who are experiencing mental health difficulties, particularly those who are neurodiverse.
- Route23 – this Canterbury pop-up coffee shop will run a Babies and Toddlers group for expectant, first-time parents or young/new parents at risk of exclusion and mental ill health. Mums and dads and carers will learn techniques for coping with parenting, and where to find mental health support as soon as difficulties arise.
- SATEDA – this Swale domestic abuse charity will run a 9-month programme called ‘Choose Liberty’ to support the mental health and wellbeing of up to 30 young women survivors aged between 13-16.
