Last year’s Guardian and Observer appeal raised over £400,000 shared equally among nine mental health charities which carry out innovative work to change attitudes towards mental illness.
The nine were: Samaritans, Mind, Gardening Leave, Rethink Mental Illness, Star Wards, MAC-UK, Centre for Mental Health, Cooltan Arts and Kidstime Foundation.
The cash raised helped the charities invest in and develop a range of projects aimed at tackling the stigma and stereotypes around mental illness.
Alan Middleton, acting chief executive of Gardening Leave, a horticultural therapy charity that helps armed forces veterans with mental health issues, said: “Thanks to the funding from the Christmas appeal we are now in a position to offer further support to veterans, helping their transition to a full and positive life in the community.”
Readers’ donations helped the charity fund a new horticultural therapy garden in Dundee, built on a disused bowling green. “As a small charity that doesn’t receive statutory funding, support and donations like the ones generated by the appeal are our lifeblood and at a time when things are hard, that is what keeps you going.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the backing from the Guardian and Observer and their readers.”
Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, which provides advice services and campaigns to promote understanding of mental illness, said: “The awareness raised and readers’ generosity from last year’s appeal has helped Mind take a step towards our ambition – that everyone with a mental health problem feels able to ask for, and get, the support they need.”
Marion Janner, founder of Star Wards, a tiny charity which campaigns to improve inpatients’ experience of psychiatric wards, said its share of the money covered its running costs for six months and helped it develop and launch new resources to support patients, staff and visiting family and friends.
She said: “We were blown away by the generosity of Guardian and Observer readers, and by the warmth of interest they showed in the heroic work of mental health ward staff.
“Many people have told us what a huge morale boost it has been for them to know that the highly skilled, compassionate work of inpatient mental health ward staff has been recognised in this way.”
