Chief executive Katie Glover says Coastal West Sussex Mind is delighted to be offering people the chance to get funding to stage an activity or event.
She was speaking after it was announced that people in West Sussex with “lived experience” of a mental health issue have been invited to apply for a grant to a new fund launched tomorrow on World Mental Health Day.
Time to Change West Sussex is offering awards of up to £500 to fund activities to end stigma about mental health. The new fund will pay for events ranging from a simple coffee morning or a film showing, to a stall at a fair, a concert or various arts projects.
Time to Change West Sussex is a partnership between the West Sussex County Council, Coastal West Sussex Mind, Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and other agencies and mental health champions to change behaviour towards people experiencing a mental health problem.
And Katie Glover said: “We want people to put on activities that provide the opportunity for those who have experience of a mental health issue to talk with those who have not. We call this social contact and it is absolutely key to changing attitudes and encouraging mutual understanding and respect. So we are delighted to be offering people the chance to get funding to put on their own activity or event.”
The first round of applications for the awards will open from World Mental Health Day (Tuesday 10 October 2017) until Thursday 30 November 2017. To be eligible, applicants must have signed up to become a Time to Change West Sussex Champion and be 18 or over; live in West Sussex and have lived experience of a mental health problem.
Coastal West Sussex Mind is an independent local mental health charity working in West Sussex, offering mental health services, along with associated training and support. The body also works in communities to raise awareness and challenge stigma and discrimination. The services support young people, adults, older adults, carers and families affected by mental health problems.
