London’s South Bank was transformed into a ‘pop –up village’ with a difference thanks to Time to Change, England’s biggest mental health anti-stigma campaign, run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness.
The Time to Change Village is a new concept to challenge mental health discrimination by encouraging people to get talking about mental health. The free event was held on the Riverside walkway near to Gabriel’s Wharf.
Typical to many villages there are facilities such as a tea shop, library, post office and even a cinema. However, all of the areas have all been specially designed so that members of the public can enjoy the activities and learn more about mental health from people with personal experiences of mental health problems. Evidence suggests that this kind of contact is one of the most effective ways of breaking down stigma and improving attitudes. It is hoped this village event will now tour across England throughout the year.
The library area of the village is a ‘Human Library’ where living books can be loaned for ten minutes, with the stories told by trained volunteers who’ve had mental health problems and experienced stigma or prejudice. There's an issue desk, a reading space and, of course, a very interesting Bookshelf! Making a special appearance at the South Bank library was Guardian Assistant News Editor, Mark Rice Oxley, who shared his experiences of depression.
As with all villages the centrepiece is the village green and there was plenty of entertainment last weekend including performances from the theatre group Likely Story, London African Drumming, poets Vince Laws and Laura May, musician Half-tonne Son and an interactive game-making workshop from Vision4Arts. Arsenal Football Club will also be making an appearance.
At the tea shop visitors can enjoy a cup of tea in exchange for a short conversation with someone with personal experience of a mental health problem.
The cinema shows short films and adverts that have been created to challenge discrimination. The post office and news agent provides the latest news about Time to Change and people are encouraged to send a postcard to family and friends.
To ensure the village provides support and information for people with mental health problems, NHS Mental Health Trust workers and the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness run ‘the surgery’ where information on local and national services is available.
Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said: “We know that social contact between people with mental health problems and people without the same experiences is one of the most effective ways to challenge misconceptions and stereotypes. By entertaining and engaging people we expect that they will learn something new and feel less afraid of having more open conversations about mental health.”
Alastair Campbell, Time to Change ambassador, said: “This is social contact at its best. The only way we are really going to get to the bottom of negative attitudes and behaviour towards mental health is by bringing people with and without experience of a mental illness together. I hope everyone has a great day out and really buys into the message that ‘It’s time to talk. It’s time to change’ where mental health is concerned.”
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For more information please contact Hayley Richardson, Time to Change Senior Media Officer, on [email protected] or 0208 2152 358/ 07789 721 966. Follow Hayley on Google+
Notes to Editors
The Riverside walkway is owned and managed by Coin Street Community Builders. For more information visit http://www.coinstreet.org/
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