Time to Change in the North East

Case study: Time to Change in the North East

Run by the North East Strategic Health Authority

A North East campaign uses Time to Change’s successful model of advertising in the media to raise the profile of the issue, combined with events in shopping centres and high streets to get the public talking about mental health – with people who have experienced mental illness themselves at the forefront.

A local take on the campaign

NHS North East tailored Time to Change’s national advertising to a regional audience, using real life stories of local residents and getting Geordie celebs on board.

Advertising across the region’s press and on the North East Metro transport system has helped reach a large number of North East residents – a combination of Time to Change’s successful advertising featuring Frank Bruno and localised versions of the ads featuring ‘real people’.

Roadshows to get people talking

Roadshows toured Hartlepool, Blyth, Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham, along with an ad van to ensure that the Time to Change message could not be missed. Local celebrities including TV agony aunt Denise Robertson and Sunderland FC players came along to help draw the crowds.

Volunteers spoke to passers by about their experiences of mental health problems – delivering the face to face contact that we know to be one of the best ways of challenging negative attitudes. Meanwhile professional mental health advisers were also on hand, and Time to Change materials along with details of local services and support were available to ensure people were given all the information they needed about how to support a friend or relative, or to get help for themselves.

Engaging local influencers and the media

So far the campaign is making a splash, with coverage on ITV North East, in many of the region’s newspapers, and over 300 pledges during the roadshow period. Local politicians and dignitaries also got involved – which should help to embed anti-stigma work in local political and civic life beyond the life of the campaign.

Getting students involved

Meanwhile, the North East team are running a film competition in local colleges, encouraging students to produce two-minute storyboards on the topic of mental health discrimination.

Top tips from the North East campaign

• Using Time to Change’s advertising can help you deliver a more cost-effective campaign.
• Tailor your campaign for a regional audience by including local people’s stories.
• Bring it all to life with events that engage people face to face and bring people with and without mental health problems together.
• Including people with experience of mental health problems in the planning and delivery stages will make your campaign more effective and powerful.
• Work with other local organisations to understand what else is going on in your patch and how you can complement, rather than duplicate it.

The North East Time to Change campaign was funded by the Big Lottery Fund’s New Leaf New Life portfolio and the North East Mental Health Development Unit.