MP Dr Sarah Wollaston popped in to the Time to Change Village event in Devon last weekend. The Time to Change Village stand won 'Best Educational Stand at the Totnes and District Agricultural Show and  local MP Dr Sarah Wollaston, who recently spoke out about her own experiences of mental health problems, also chatted with volunteers and made a pledge to keep talking about mental health in Parliament. 

The village, which is a new concept to challenge mental health discrimination, encouraged people to talk more openly about mental health problems. Time to Change wants to target rural communities in this way because people in more remote areas can face additional barriers to talking about mental health including issues with access to services, isolation, and also fear of becoming the ‘talk of the town’ and everyone knowing their problems.

Village facilities such as a tea shop, a cinema and a village green were available, with each area designed so that members of the public could talk directly with people who have mental health problems. Evidence suggests that this kind of contact is one of the most effective ways of breaking down stigma and improving attitudes. 

Throughout the event there was a special Time to Change currency where people could receive a Time to Change goodie bag in exchange for a conversation with someone who has a mental illness. The cinema showed short films and adverts that have been created to challenge discrimination; the tea-shop was available for open conversations; and the village green had plenty of entertainment including a workshop run by Ambios where people built insect houses, face painters and also a photo booth for people to capture the moment that they pledged to support the campaign and stamp out mental health stigma.

Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said: “This event will bring people with and without mental health problems together to start new conversations about mental health, which really helps to tackle stigma and misunderstanding. We know that for many reasons people in rural communities don’t speak out about the issue and we want to work with them to encourage more people to get more actively involved with the campaign.”

The next Time to Change Village event will take place in the Forum, Norwich on Saturday 1 September, from 10am-5pm. 

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Notes to Editors

Time to Change
Time to Change is England's most ambitious programme to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems.  The programme is run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and funded by the Department of Health and Comic Relief. 

For more information go to www.time-to-change.org.uk

Department of Health
On 2 February 2011 the Department of Health launched No health without mental health, a cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages which has the twin aims of keeping people well and improving their mental health and, when people are not well, improving their outcomes through high-quality services.

The strategy is based on six shared objectives, developed with partners from across the mental health sector, and focuses on ‘Recovery’ and the reduction of stigma and discrimination as overarching themes. 

To help deliver the objective to reduce the stigma faced by people with mental health problems, in 2011 the Department agreed to support Time to Change, the anti-stigma campaign run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. The Department of Health is providing the campaign with up to £16 million of funding together with a further £4 million from Comic Relief. This funding will help Time to Change continue their work until March 2015.

Comic Relief
Comic Relief is committed to supporting people living with mental health problems. The projects Comic Relief funds ensure people with mental health problems get their voices heard in the decisions that affect their lives and get the help they need to recover. Comic
Relief also helps people to promote their rights and reduce the stigma and discrimination they face so that they feel more included in society.  The £4 million grant to Time to Change is the second time the charity has awarded Time to Change its largest UK grant and is part of Comic Relief's long standing commitment to this issue. For more information go to www.comicrelief.com