Organisations come together to ‘Mend the Gap’ in local mental health support
Organisations from across the NHS, the voluntary sector and beyond are planning a series of four events across Coventry and Warwickshire to showcase to the public, and each other, the support available locally to people struggling with their mental health. The next will be held at Racing Club Warwick Football Club on Wednesday 25th January.
The one-day ‘Mend the Gap’ event will bring together a range of NHS services and charities, including Sky Blues in the Community, Mind Coventry and Warwickshire, Citizens Advice and the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust (CWPT). The event will be open to the public at 1.00pm to drop in at anytime of day until 4.15pm. They will see various organisations talking about the support they offer and how it can be accessed. It will also be an opportunity for people attending to network and make connections with others.
The event on the 25th January will follow on from a successful inaugural ‘Mend the Gap’ held in Willenhall, Coventry on 19th October 2022 which brought together Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, Grapevine, The Breakthrough Project, The Violet Project, Network Rail, universities and CWPT. The Trust co-created and co-hosted the event with the Willenhall Men’s Support Group at their weekly meeting place, the Hagard Community Space.
Alex Cotton MBE, Team Manager of the Mental Health Street Triage Team, came up with the concept of ‘Mend the Gap’. She said:
“There are a range of brilliant services and voluntary organisations out in the community which offer a range of support with social issues that impact mental health, as well as life’s challenges which can affect our wellbeing. People and organisations doing that fantastic work that aren’t always known to the public or services. That is why ‘Mend the Gap’ was created – to get people from different sectors, organisations and communities together in the same room to talk about our shared passion: helping people struggling to live well to access services in their community. Our October event was so well received that we want to roll this out across Coventry and Warwickshire, so that ‘Mend the Gap’ bringing services together across CWPT geographical patch to reach the needs of local residents.”
Dominic Cox, Director of Strategy and Development at CWPT, said:
“As a Trust, one of our core values is collaboration and that is what ‘Mend the Gap’ is all about: bringing organisations together to encourage joint working that will benefit the communities we serve. The only way we are going to help people to overcome mental health difficulties is by working together with all partners and our relationship with the voluntary sector is so important to our service users and the NHS, in our aim to offer the best support we can across Coventry and Warwickshire.”
Matt Loat, the Chair of the Willenhall Men’s Support Group, added:
“Willenhall Men's Support is a small ripple in the never-ending ocean that is mental health. Our weekly meetings provide support and company for those lost and struggling against this almighty beast. Times are tough at the moment so it's vital to provide safe spaces and I would encourage the people of Warwick to come together and listen to how they can receive much needed support and how they play their part in mending the gap.”