Lambeth’s Public Health, mental health wellbeing team is launching a Love Your Mind poster campaign to tie in with World Mental Health Day on October 10.

The campaign aims to tackle the high level of need for access to information on mental health support, which was highlighted in the team’s work with the Better Mental Health Fund.

Margherita Sweetlove, the team’s Public Health Specialist in Mental Health and Well-being says that Lambeth was lucky to be one of 40 local authorities selected by the government as recipients of the Better Mental Health Fund last year. The Fund aimed to reduce mental health inequalities by targeting at risk and vulnerable groups through evidence-based interventions to improve mental health and mental wellbeing in local communities.

Margherita says “we used the fund to run nine wellbeing projects supporting carers, Black Men, vulnerable young people, and lonely, elderly residents among others. Each project yielded its own learnings, but there were some clear overarching themes. These were:

• There’s a high level of need in the borough but people don’t know what support is available or how to access it
• Others are reluctant to access services due to stigma, or past bad experiences
• People tend to seek support from services and groups they already know and trust
• People (particularly men, or young people) thrive in spaces where they can express themselves, connect with others and belong
• There are so many individuals and organisation in the borough eager to help their communities

“The Love Your Mind Lambeth Campaign was designed to address the first of the above key learnings.

“We have designed posters with quick tips on how to boost your wellbeing and, crucially, links to websites with more information on how to look after your mental wellbeing as well as on support and clinical services available in the borough.

“We hope that by having these posters in as many places as possible, people will become acquainted with tips for self help and connected to the support they need.”

Online workshop

The team has also designed a 3-hour online workshop to help people to gain confidence in having a friendly chat about mental wellbeing with others around them who might be struggling. The workshop will also provide participants with a list of resources to direct others to if/when needed.

“This is because we know people tend to turn to people they know and trust in times of need and we want to equip as many people as possible to be able to have those conversations in meaningful ways and connect each other to the appropriate support.”

The latest campaign is part of Margherita’s ongoing work on the borough’s suicide prevention strategy.

“We’re hoping that by connecting people to the appropriate support early in their mental health journey, either through the information on the posters or the conversations they have with others, they will receive they support they need before they get to a point of crisis. Which is one of the priorities of our suicide prevention strategy,” she adds.

You can sign up for the workshop here.

Cost of living crisis

While the campaign is being launched to mark World Mental Health Day – the theme Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority – Margherita stresses it’s timely as just before the weather gets cold enough that people need to heat their homes. “We know that the financial pressures many will face this winter will have a huge impact on their mental health and wellbeing and we hope that this will support them at least with their mental wellbeing.

“In addition, the posters contain a link to the mental wellbeing page on the council website, which has a section on financial wellbeing and what advice and support is available for those hit the hardest by the cost of living crisis.”

Karen Hooper