Initiatives that give dads safe spaces to talk about parenting, and help children get their life back on track after losing someone close, are among those awarded grants of between £500 and £15,000.
“...having hope and sharing hard times is more important than ever before”
Announcing the outcome of 2023/24 round of the Kent and Medway Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund, Kent County Council (KCC) Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr Ellen Schwartz, said: “The impressive standard of applications is testimony to the incredible work going on to help residents have better mental health.
“It’s also fitting we celebrate our latest applicants’ success on World Mental Health Day as they are driven by the awareness day’s theme that ‘Mental health is a universal human right’.
“We know from previous funding rounds that grants in the right hands go a long way and have an inspirational impact for the people the projects are working to support. With COVID-19 and the cost of living still casting shadows over many lives, having hope and sharing hard times is more important than ever before."
As well as DadSpace, which gives fathers safe places in Maidstone, Sevenoaks and soon to be Ashford, to share experiences of parenting, and Slide Away – based in Wrotham, helping children and young people get back on their feet after bereavement – the full list of successful applications for the 2023/24 Kent and Medway Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund includes:
- Abigail's Footsteps – a Rochester-located baby loss charity providing support and counselling for bereaved parents and families. It also runs specialist bereavement training for midwives and healthcare professionals
- MIND South Kent – working with children and young people to look at how the financial crisis has impacted their own feelings of stress and anxiety within their family and provide the tools to help manage this
- MIND West Kent – providing co-produced support for LGBTQIA young adults, 18-30-years-old, who are experiencing poor mental health and self-harm, or are at risk of self-harming or suicide across the West Kent area, and
- Unstoppable Girls – working with teenage and young adult females living with ADHD in the Ashford area.
“...we aim to offer DadSpace meet-ups on a regular basis so dads know they’ve always got a place to go”
Director-Founder of DadSpace, Denver King, said: “Receiving the KCC grant is a huge help. These funds will allow us to expand our reach across Kent, opening three new locations in Ashford, Broadstairs and Canterbury.
“Our vision is to provide a safe space for dads to talk, listen and share their experiences of fatherhood across the country and believe DadSpace should be accessible to all dads and hope to see one in every town or city.
“Consistency is key, we aim to offer DadSpace meet-ups on a regular basis so dads know they’ve always got a place to go.”
NHS Kent and Medway’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Kate Langford, said: “So many factors can affect our mental wellbeing as the wide range of projects receiving funding shows.
“Smaller projects and initiatives at a grassroot-level can provide people with more specific support according to their situation and helps to build resilient communities.”
“It is important to remember that you are not alone”
Medway Council’s Director of Public Health, James Williams, said: “The voluntary sector plays an important role in promoting and supporting residents’ mental health and we are pleased to support community projects through the Kent and Medway Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.
“This World Mental Health Day I would encourage everyone to take some time to reflect and prioritise their mental health and wellbeing. Life can bring many challenges and there is a wide range of support for anyone who needs it. It is important to remember that you are not alone.”
Finding help in Kent and Medway:
- Every Mind Matters – if you’re suffering with stress, anxiety, low mood and sleep issues, the Better Health Every Mind Matters website has lots of information to help you stay on top of your mental wellbeing, including a simple five question quiz to get a personalised mental health action plan with tips and advice.
- Release the Pressure – free expert advice from trained counsellors is available for every mental health concern, including anxiety, money and debt worries, at any time through Release the Pressure. Just text the word “Kent” or “Medway” to 85258 or phone 0800 107 0160 for free confidential help.
- Live Well Kent and Medway – run by charities Shaw Trust and Porchlight this local support network provides free mental health guidance for young people and adults, including with money and debt, and
- In an emergency, if someone’s life is at risk, always call 999.
- For more about urgent mental health help, visit NHS Kent and Medway
Over the past five years, the Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Team has supported over 90 organisations focused on preventing suicide through a range of funding.
The Kent and Medway Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund was launched last year, with 26 organisations awarded annual grants.
The East Kent MIND Barbershop Project was one of these successful first-round applications. It aimed to train between 15 to 20 barbers in the Thanet and Canterbury district areas so they could spot signs of depression, be non-judgemental listeners and guide people to services delivered by the charity sector and NHS.
The initiative ended up exceeding its target, training 28 barbers. Stickers were also developed to display in barber shop windows and mirrors to encourage men to open up about mental health. ‘Conversations from the barber’s chair’ were also recorded and can be watched here and here.
The Suicide Prevention programme is funded by Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board and delivered through the Kent and Medway Suicide Prevention Joint Strategy.
The full list of recipients of Kent and Medway Better Mental Health and Wellbeing Community Fund 2023 grants:
- Abigail's Footsteps – a Rochester-located baby loss charity providing support and counselling for bereaved parents and families. It also runs specialist bereavement training for midwives and healthcare professionals
- DadSpace – gives fathers safe places in Maidstone, Sevenoaks and soon to be Ashford, to share experiences of parenting
- Dover Big Local CIC – developing a tailor-made support package for Dover Big Local volunteers with mental health and neurodivergent issues
- Faversham Literary Festival – funding to include on the festival programme a minimum of three events specifically talking about experiences of suicide, plus two workshops
- Medway Diversity Forum – aiming to connect grassroot British Minority Ethnic people through visual art and poetry workshops to relieve the pressures of mental ill health
- MIND in Bexley and East Kent – helping to destigmatize mental health by offering veterans the chance to record on video, audio and in writing their individual stories, creating a digital bank of memories for their families, wider community and future generations to view
- MIND South Kent – working with children and young people to look at how the financial crisis has impacted their own feelings of stress and anxiety within their family and provide the tools to help manage this
- MIND West Kent – providing co-produced support for LGBTQIA young adults, 18-30-years-old, who are experiencing poor mental health and self-harm, or are at risk of self-harming or suicide across the West Kent area
- Slide Away – based in Wrotham, helping children and young people get back on their feet after bereavement
- Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council – supporting a men’s mental health group through OneYou Kent in partnership with West Kent Mind
- Unstoppable Girls – working with teenage and young adult females living with ADHD in the Ashford area.
